Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Branford are higher than in 81% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 31.8 in Stamford. Below the poverty line: 5.9% of residents, where Connecticut as a whole has 10.0%. For jobs and income Branford is better than 82% of U.S. towns (A−); for walkability it is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (A−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Branford and work: the main findings
Branford trades workers with the towns around it
Branford has about as many jobs (11,545) as working residents (13,363), but they are mostly different people: 11,364 residents leave for work each day while 9,546 people come in. Only 17% of the jobs in Branford are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Branford and New Haven trade workers both ways
New Haven is the top workplace for Branford residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Branford come from (10% of its jobs). 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Branford
Job access by car is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Branford could be anywhere from B+ to A.
The daily commute in and out of Branford
On a workday 11,364 residents head out to work, 1,999 work right here, and 9,546 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 (0.86 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.
22% of working residents work in New Haven
Where Branford clocks in
22% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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.
The kinds of work in Branford
11,545 jobs are based in Branford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Branford, 2013 → 2023: 11,610 → 11,545. 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 Branford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 24 minutes in Branford
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Branford workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,568 commuters (the 16% 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 distance from Branford to work
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.
In Branford, walking beats the bus
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.7% 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 14,973 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 58% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 22% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 75% 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). 4.7% of Branford households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Branford’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Branford is 452nd among 1,467 U.S. towns of 20,000 to 39,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | North Haven CT | 24,799 | $133K | 4.1% | 2.0% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Berlin CT | 20,698 | $114K | 3.4% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Glastonbury CT | 35,503 | $157K | 3.8% | 2.9% | 15% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 450 | Pleasant Prairie WI | 21,798 | $104K | 7.1% | 3.6% | 14% | A− |
| 451 | Onondaga NY | 22,431 | $104K | 3.5% | 4.5% | 7% | A− |
| 452 | Branford CT | 28,724 | $105K | 5.9% | 4.2% | 15% | A− |
| 453 | Hudson NH | 26,001 | $124K | 4.6% | 5.0% | 13% | A− |
| 454 | Sparta Township NJ | 20,431 | $168K | 4.0% | 5.4% | 13% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,467 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Branford, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Next door to Branford
The biggest share goes to Guilford (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Branford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branford | – | A− | A− | 24 min | $105,225 |
| East Haven | 2% | B+ | A | 24 min | $94,628 |
| Guilford | 4% | A | B | 26 min | $137,816 |
| North Branford | 2% | A− | C | 26 min | $108,032 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Branford’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 Branford: questions
What is the median household income in Branford?
$105,225 (±$6,607) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Branford?
5.9%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Branford?
24 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Branford work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Haven (22%, 8 mi), Guilford (4%, 6 mi), North Haven (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Branford walkable?
Branford is more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 10.0 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Branford without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 22% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Branford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Branford
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.