Photo: Victor-ny · CC BY-SA 3.0There are 4.2 jobs in Groton for every working resident, and 16,925 people commute in
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 31.8 in Stamford. 17,924 jobs are based in Groton for 4,300 working residents. Groton grades C+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Groton apart
Groton fills up on a workday
Groton has 17,924 jobs, 4.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 24,000 people are in town, more than double the 10,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Groton makes and builds things
90% of the jobs based in Groton are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Groton residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 27%. The jobs ↓
The jobs in Groton pay better than its residents’ jobs
95% of the jobs based in Groton pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 64% of the jobs Groton residents hold. 94% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Groton. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Groton are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 27 across Connecticut. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical Connecticut worker. Time on the road ↓
Groton and Groton trade workers both ways
Groton is the top workplace for Groton residents (36%) and also where the most people who work in Groton come from (16% 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.
The figures behind Groton’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Groton is better than 38% of U.S. towns, #142 of 155 in Connecticut. Job access by car holds Groton’s grade up (ahead of 68% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (18.6%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Groton could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Who commutes out of Groton, and who commutes in
On a workday 3,301 residents head out to work and 999 work right here.
About 24,000 people are in Groton on a workday afternoon, 134% more than live here.
4.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
90% of the jobs in Groton make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Groton, 2013 → 2023: 12,805 → 17,924. 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 Groton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Groton: about 18 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Groton workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,788 commuters (the 5% 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.
Who travels to work in Groton, and from where
Where Groton clocks in
36% of workers
8% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Groton
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Groton
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Groton is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #9 of 155 in Connecticut. Both inputs place Groton 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 5,029 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 88% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 34% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 65% 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). 10.8% of Groton households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Groton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Groton is 2,025th of 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 181 | Oxford CT | 13,311 | $129K | 4.0% | 2.3% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 220 | Granby CT | 11,963 | $120K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 245 | Prospect CT | 9,638 | $126K | 3.2% | 3.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,023 | Newton Township OH | 8,515 | $62K | 11.4% | 5.9% | 11% | C+ |
| 2,024 | Guntersville AL | 9,394 | $68K | 18.1% | 3.1% | 20% | C+ |
| 2,025 | Groton CT | 10,160 | $80K | 18.6% | 6.0% | 23% | C+ |
| 2,026 | Grinnell IA | 9,430 | $65K | 11.1% | 4.0% | 49% | C+ |
| 2,027 | Paris KY | 10,130 | $56K | 16.9% | 3.6% | 24% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Groton, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Around Groton: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to New London (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Groton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groton | – | C+ | A+ | 18 min | $79,577 |
| New London | 8% | C− | A+ | 19 min | $59,098 |
| Conning Towers-Nautilus Park | under 2% | — | — | 14 min | — |
| Long Hill | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Conning Towers-Nautilus Park and Long Hill: 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 Groton’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 Groton: questions
What is the median household income in Groton?
$79,577 (±$8,253) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Groton?
18.6%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Groton?
18 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Groton work?
23% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Groton (36%, 2 mi), New London (8%, 2 mi), Stonington (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Groton walkable?
Groton is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Groton without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 34% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Groton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Groton
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.