Fewer people are out of work in Sumiton (2.3%) than in 80% of U.S. towns
Only 6% stay in Sumiton for work; outside it, Birmingham is the main destination (22%, 21 miles). Sumiton grades B− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. The trip to work takes 29 minutes on average (Alabama 26, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Sumiton stands out on work
Sumiton trades workers with the towns around it
Sumiton has about as many jobs (1,218) as working residents (1,078), but they are mostly different people: 1,009 residents leave for work each day while 1,149 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in Sumiton are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
44% of the jobs in Sumiton are in trade, transport and utilities, against 24% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Few Sumiton workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 9% across Alabama. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
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.
The figures behind Sumiton’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Sumiton is better than 51% of U.S. towns, #64 of 187 in Alabama. Unemployment holds Sumiton’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (15.9%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Sumiton could be anywhere from C to B+.
Who leaves Sumiton for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,009 residents head out to work, 69 work right here, and 1,149 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.13 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What Sumiton’s employers do
1,218 jobs are based in Sumiton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sumiton, 2013 → 2023: 1,266 → 1,218. 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 Sumiton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Sumiton: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sumiton workers work from home, vs 9% across Alabama. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,213 commuters (the 3% 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.
Commuting out of Sumiton: the destinations
Where Sumiton clocks in
22% of workers
9% 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.
Sumiton’s commute, mile by mile
About 17% 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.
Getting around Sumiton: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Sumiton is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns, #23 of 187 in Alabama. Both inputs place Sumiton 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 1,254 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). 5.1% of Sumiton households have no vehicle (Alabama 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Sumiton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Sumiton places 2,119th of 4,868 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 72 | Indian Springs Village AL | 2,553 | $137K | 3.4% | 1.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Eagle Point AL | 3,110 | $152K | 3.2% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 402 | Westover AL | 2,121 | $97K | 4.1% | 0.6% | <1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,117 | Union Township PA | 2,932 | $73K | 6.8% | 6.0% | 9% | B− |
| 2,118 | Pine Hills CA | 2,875 | $78K | 16.1% | 0.9% | 1% | B− |
| 2,119 | Sumiton AL | 2,511 | $66K | 15.9% | 2.3% | 6% | B− |
| 2,120 | Alden NY | 2,755 | $71K | 7.6% | 5.7% | 9% | B− |
| 2,121 | Roaring Spring PA | 2,280 | $63K | 13.4% | 1.7% | 9% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,868 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Sumiton, the top three, the last and three more from Alabama.
How Sumiton compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Dora (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Sumiton’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 Sumiton: questions
What is the median household income in Sumiton?
$65,568 (±$12,236) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,999 across Alabama and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sumiton?
15.9%, against 15.6% across Alabama and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sumiton?
29 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Alabama and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sumiton work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Birmingham (22%, 21 mi), Jasper (9%, 14 mi), Dora (4%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Sumiton walkable?
Sumiton is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.3 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Sumiton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sumiton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sumiton
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.