Photo: themidnite (original), Yassie (derivative work · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Florence have lower incomes than those in 85% of U.S. towns
About two in five stay in Florence for work; outside it, Muscle Shoals is the main destination (11%, 6 miles). 17.9% of residents live below the poverty line, against 15.6% across Alabama. The two grades for Florence are C− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Florence
Florence is where the jobs are
Florence has 22,642 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Florence are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 26 across Alabama. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Alabama worker. Time on the road ↓
Florence draws workers from far and wide
The 22,642 jobs in Florence are filled from a wide area. Florence’s own residents hold 25% and the ten next-biggest home towns 19%; the other 56% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Florence
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Florence is better than 20% of U.S. towns, #132 of 187 in Alabama. Job access by car holds Florence’s grade up (ahead of 59% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($52,174, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Florence could be anywhere from D to C.
The daily flow of workers through Florence
On a workday 8,188 residents head out to work, 5,656 work right here, and 16,986 people come in from elsewhere.
About 51,000 people are in Florence on a workday afternoon, 21% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Time on the road from Florence: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Florence workers work from home, vs 9% across Alabama. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 17,367 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Alabama: 88% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where the people who work in Florence live
Where Florence clocks in
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Inside Florence’s 22,642 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Florence, 2013 → 2023: 21,858 → 22,642. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Florence’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Florence to work
About 25% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Florence is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Florence is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns, #21 of 187 in Alabama. Both inputs place Florence near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 19,057 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.3% of Florence households have no vehicle (Alabama 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Florence’s commuters take a bus or train.
Florence next to U.S. towns of 30,000 to 57,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 158 | Vestavia Hills AL | 38,306 | $134K | 10.0% | 1.9% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 303 | Alabaster AL | 34,748 | $91K | 7.1% | 2.5% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 370 | Daphne AL | 31,396 | $87K | 7.2% | 2.3% | 14% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 916 | Altoona PA | 42,347 | $51K | 16.6% | 6.8% | 30% | C− |
| 917 | Sumter SC | 43,094 | $56K | 16.7% | 6.6% | 31% | C− |
| 918 | Florence AL | 42,581 | $52K | 17.9% | 6.3% | 41% | C− |
| 919 | Hobbs NM | 40,863 | $64K | 19.7% | 6.3% | 56% | C− |
| 920 | Statesville NC | 32,181 | $53K | 20.4% | 6.8% | 28% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 994 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Florence, the top three, the last and three more from Alabama.
Florence and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Florence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | – | C− | B+ | 19 min | $52,174 |
| Underwood-Petersville | under 1% | B− | B− | 21 min | $48,219 |
| St. Florian | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. St. Florian: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Florence’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Florence: questions
What is the median household income in Florence?
$52,174 (±$3,040) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,999 across Alabama and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Florence?
17.9%, against 15.6% across Alabama and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Florence?
19 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Alabama and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Florence work?
41% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Muscle Shoals (11%, 6 mi), Huntsville (6%, 57 mi), Sheffield (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Florence walkable?
Florence is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Florence without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Florence, from the people who make the trip.
More of Florence
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.