For about half of its working residents, Avondale is a commute to Phoenix
The trip to work takes 28 minutes on average (Arizona 25, U.S. 26). For jobs and income Avondale is better than 71% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (B). Only 5% stay in Avondale for work; outside it, Phoenix is the main destination (45%, 23 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Avondale
Avondale has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Avondale went from 11,784 in 2013 to 22,538 in 2023, +91%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Avondale’s grade
Job access by car holds Avondale’s grade up (ahead of 87% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (10.9%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Avondale could be anywhere from B to A−.
What Avondale’s employers do
22,538 jobs are based in Avondale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Avondale, 2013 → 2023: 11,784 → 22,538. 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 Avondale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Avondale by day and by night
On a workday 41,341 residents head out to work, 2,286 work right here, and 20,252 people come in from elsewhere.
About 80,000 people are in Avondale on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.52 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
Out of Avondale to work: where people go
Where Avondale clocks in
45% of workers
7% of workers
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.
How long Avondale spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Avondale workers work from home, vs 18% across Arizona. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 39,354 commuters (the 15% who work from home are left out). Across Arizona: 82% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Avondale
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.
Driving is how Avondale gets around
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.9% across Arizona.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 46,173 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 24% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 82% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.6% of Avondale households have no vehicle (Arizona 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Avondale’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Among U.S. towns of 71,000 to 136,000, Avondale ranks 158th of 421 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Queen Creek AZ | 89,770 | $142K | 3.7% | 4.3% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 86 | Goodyear AZ | 125,359 | $103K | 5.2% | 4.2% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 156 | Upland CA | 79,446 | $106K | 9.3% | 5.4% | 9% | B+ |
| 157 | Southampton NY | 71,601 | $129K | 9.0% | 4.1% | 33% | B+ |
| 158 | Avondale AZ | 100,983 | $86K | 10.9% | 3.6% | 5% | B+ |
| 159 | Glen Burnie MD | 72,590 | $88K | 9.3% | 4.7% | 9% | B+ |
| 160 | Thousand Oaks CA | 122,230 | $136K | 8.9% | 5.4% | 26% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 176 | Casas Adobes AZ | 72,059 | $84K | 6.6% | 4.3% | 8% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 421 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | 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 Avondale, the top three, the last and three more from Arizona.
54% of Avondale works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Avondale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avondale | – | B+ | B | 28 min | $86,123 |
| Goodyear | 6% | A− | C+ | 30 min | $103,319 |
| Phoenix | 45% | B | A | 26 min | $81,332 |
| Tolleson | 3% | B | A | 22 min | $59,626 |
| Litchfield Park | under 3% | A | A− | 26 min | $126,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Phoenix. Darker towns draw more of Avondale’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 Avondale: questions
What is the median household income in Avondale?
$86,123 (±$4,344) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $79,964 across Arizona and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Avondale?
10.9%, against 12.5% across Arizona and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Avondale?
28 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Arizona and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Avondale work?
5% work in town.
Is Avondale walkable?
Avondale is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 11.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Avondale without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 24% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Avondale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Avondale
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.