Photo: CharlusIngus at English Wikipedia · Public domainWhere Gales Ferry earns its living
319 jobs are based in Gales Ferry, and 482 of its residents work somewhere. Only 2% stay in Gales Ferry for work; outside it, Groton is the main destination (26%, 6 miles). The trip to work takes 15 minutes on average; Connecticut averages 27, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Gales Ferry at work: what stands out
Commutes from Gales Ferry are quick
The average trip to work takes 15 minutes, against 27 across Connecticut. That’s about 92 hours a year less on the road than the typical Connecticut worker, and quicker than any town next door (22 to 25 minutes). Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Gales Ferry
70% of Gales Ferry residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 50% of the jobs based in Gales Ferry pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 98% leave town for their job. 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; with 482 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Each way, about 15 minutes from Gales Ferry
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gales Ferry workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 451 commuters (the 17% 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.
What Gales Ferry’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gales Ferry, 2013 → 2023: 230 → 319. 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 Gales Ferry’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who leaves Gales Ferry for work, and who comes in
On a workday 474 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 311 people come in from elsewhere.
About 980 people are in Gales Ferry on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.66 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.
Where the trip to work from Gales Ferry ends
Where Gales Ferry clocks in
26% of workers
9% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Gales Ferry
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.
The towns around Gales Ferry
The biggest share goes to Montville (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gales Ferry workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gales Ferry | – | — | — | 15 min | $80,735 |
| Oxoboxo River | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Montville | 4% | B+ | C+ | 25 min | $96,454 |
| Waterford | 4% | B+ | B | 22 min | $104,820 |
Same-state neighbors only. Oxoboxo River: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gales Ferry’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 Gales Ferry: questions
What is the median household income in Gales Ferry?
$80,735 (±$64,467) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gales Ferry?
28.6%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gales Ferry?
15 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gales Ferry work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Groton (26%, 6 mi), Ledyard (9%, 3 mi), Norwich (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Gales Ferry without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gales Ferry, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gales Ferry
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.