Kensington Soldier's Monument · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Berlin are higher than in 85% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 3.4%, against 10.0% across Connecticut. Jobs and income earn Berlin A+; getting around on foot earns it B−. About one in ten work in Berlin itself; outside it, Hartford draws the most (12%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Berlin: the gist
A lot of Berlin works one town over
26% of working residents work in a town that borders Berlin: New Britain (7%), Newington (5%) and Meriden (4%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Berlin are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 27 across Connecticut. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Connecticut worker. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Berlin’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Berlin is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #4 of 155 in Connecticut. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Berlin’s grade. It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Berlin could be anywhere from A to A+.
Commuting from Berlin: about 21 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Berlin workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,497 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Connecticut: 82% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The daily commute in and out of Berlin
On a workday 8,162 residents head out to work, 1,035 work right here, and 10,160 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in Berlin on a workday afternoon, 10% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.22 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.
The places Berlin commutes to
Where Berlin clocks in
12% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
Berlin works in goods: 28% of its jobs
11,195 jobs are based in Berlin.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Berlin, 2013 → 2023: 11,950 → 11,195. 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 Berlin’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Berlin
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 Berlin: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Berlin is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns, #92 of 155 in Connecticut. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 7.1% across Connecticut.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 11,101 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 15% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 11% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 73% 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). 3.3% of Berlin households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Berlin’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,931 U.S. towns of 14,000 to 28,000, Berlin comes 59th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | North Haven CT | 24,799 | $133K | 4.1% | 2.0% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Orinda CA | 19,507 | $250K | 2.2% | 3.4% | 5% | A+ |
| 58 | Waunakee WI | 16,411 | $125K | 2.8% | 1.4% | 14% | A+ |
| 59 | Berlin CT | 20,698 | $114K | 3.4% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 60 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| 61 | Solon OH | 23,679 | $139K | 3.3% | 2.4% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 108 | South Windsor CT | 27,036 | $145K | 4.9% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 116 | Ellington CT | 16,594 | $130K | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,931 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Berlin, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
The towns next door employ 26% of Berlin
The biggest share goes to New Britain (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Berlin workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | – | A+ | B− | 21 min | $113,598 |
| Cromwell | under 4% | A | A− | 24 min | $110,596 |
| Southington | 3% | A | C+ | 24 min | $124,309 |
| Meriden | 4% | C+ | A | 23 min | $71,253 |
| New Britain | 7% | C | A | 22 min | $58,613 |
| Middletown | 4% | B | A | 23 min | $79,438 |
| Newington | 5% | A | A− | 21 min | $102,884 |
| Rocky Hill | 3% | A | B+ | 21 min | $99,941 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Berlin’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 Berlin: questions
What is the median household income in Berlin?
$113,598 (±$10,679) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Berlin?
3.4%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Berlin?
21 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Berlin work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hartford (12%, 12 mi), New Britain (7%, 5 mi), Farmington (5%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Berlin walkable?
Berlin is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Berlin without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 11% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Berlin, from the people who make the trip.
More of Berlin
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.