Knesseth Israel Synagogue · Photo: Elipongo · Public domainHousehold incomes in Ellington top those of 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Ellington are A+ for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. 2.4% of residents live below the poverty line; Connecticut has 10.0%. About one in ten stay in Ellington for work; outside it, Hartford is the main destination (13%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The figures behind Ellington’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ellington is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #8 of 155 in Connecticut. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.7%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Ellington could be anywhere from A to A+.
In and out of Ellington on a workday
On a workday 7,222 residents head out to work, 847 work right here, and 3,020 people come in from elsewhere.
About 12,000 people are in Ellington on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.48 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.
The places Ellington commutes to
Where Ellington clocks in
13% of workers
6% 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.
Goods, not services: 31% of the jobs in Ellington
3,867 jobs are based in Ellington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ellington, 2013 → 2023: 2,930 → 3,867. 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 Ellington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Ellington spends getting to work: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ellington workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,973 commuters (the 18% 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.
How far Ellington’s workers travel
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.
Ellington is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ellington is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns, #114 of 155 in Connecticut. Both inputs place Ellington 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 8,541 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 7% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 2.6% of Ellington households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Ellington’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 12,000 to 22,000, Ellington ranks 104th of 1,888 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 59 | Berlin CT | 20,698 | $114K | 3.4% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 102 | Wyndham VA | 12,099 | $235K | 1.2% | 3.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 103 | Babylon NY | 12,281 | $141K | 3.5% | 3.5% | 8% | A+ |
| 104 | Ellington CT | 16,594 | $130K | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 105 | Tolland CT | 14,752 | $133K | 5.3% | 1.2% | 9% | A+ |
| 106 | Kings Park West VA | 13,442 | $170K | 6.2% | 2.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 113 | Colchester CT | 15,825 | $122K | 3.9% | 1.7% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 119 | Oxford CT | 13,311 | $129K | 4.0% | 2.3% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,888 | 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 Ellington, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Work next door: 10% of Ellington’s workers
The biggest share goes to Vernon (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ellington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellington | – | A+ | C+ | 31 min | $129,913 |
| Tolland | under 3% | A+ | C− | 32 min | $133,264 |
| East Windsor | under 3% | A− | C+ | 22 min | $96,250 |
| Willington | under 3% | A− | D | 26 min | $91,114 |
| Stafford | under 3% | B | D | 26 min | $93,235 |
| Vernon | 6% | B− | A− | 27 min | $85,356 |
| Somers | under 3% | A | C | 28 min | $124,705 |
| Stafford Springs | under 3% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Broad Brook | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| South Windsor | 4% | A+ | B− | 23 min | $144,961 |
Same-state neighbors only. Stafford Springs and Broad Brook: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ellington’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 Ellington: questions
What is the median household income in Ellington?
$129,913 (±$17,325) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ellington?
2.4%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ellington?
31 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ellington work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hartford (13%, 16 mi), Manchester (6%, 10 mi), Vernon (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Ellington walkable?
Ellington is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.1 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ellington without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ellington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ellington
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.