Nathaniel Richardson House · Photo: Bruce Clouette · Public domainHousehold incomes in Middlebury are higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 31.8 in Stamford. The poverty rate is 5.8%; Connecticut has 10.0%. Jobs and income earn Middlebury A; getting around on foot earns it A−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Middlebury at work: what stands out
Middlebury trades workers with the towns around it
Middlebury has about as many jobs (3,866) as working residents (3,748), but they are mostly different people: 3,384 residents leave for work each day while 3,502 people come in. Only 9% of the jobs in Middlebury are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Middlebury
71% of Middlebury residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 53% of the jobs based in Middlebury pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 90% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Nearly all the work in Middlebury is services
86% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 5% are in factories, building or farms. 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.
Middlebury’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Middlebury is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #48 of 155 in Connecticut. Household income is its strongest input ($133,487, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Middlebury could be anywhere from B to A+.
The daily commute in and out of Middlebury
On a workday 3,384 residents head out to work, 364 work right here, and 3,502 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 (1.03 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Middlebury
3,866 jobs are based in Middlebury.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Middlebury, 2013 → 2023: 3,605 → 3,866. 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 Middlebury’s own residents hold wherever they work.
12% of working residents work in Waterbury
Where Middlebury clocks in
12% of workers
5% 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 trip to work from Middlebury: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Middlebury workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,201 commuters (the 15% 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 Middlebury’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.
Middlebury is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Middlebury is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns, #52 of 155 in Connecticut. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.2% 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 3,777 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 37% 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 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 56% 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 Middlebury households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Middlebury’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Middlebury is 511th among 2,966 U.S. towns of 5,700 to 10,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 242 | Prospect CT | 9,638 | $126K | 3.2% | 3.3% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 299 | Durham CT | 7,209 | $159K | 3.4% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 313 | Portland CT | 9,449 | $119K | 3.9% | 3.3% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 509 | Timonium MD | 10,304 | $120K | 5.8% | 4.1% | 6% | A |
| 510 | Mills River NC | 7,504 | $105K | 2.6% | 2.8% | 9% | A |
| 511 | Middlebury CT | 8,093 | $133K | 5.8% | 4.0% | 10% | A |
| 512 | Merrimac MA | 6,818 | $123K | 9.4% | 1.5% | 6% | A |
| 513 | Santa Rita Ranch TX | 6,586 | $161K | 0.9% | 5.9% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,966 | 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 Middlebury, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
22% of Middlebury works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Waterbury (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Middlebury workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlebury | – | A | A− | 25 min | $133,487 |
| Southbury | 5% | A | C | 30 min | $112,887 |
| Naugatuck | 2% | A− | A− | 33 min | $96,324 |
| Waterbury | 12% | C− | A | 28 min | $51,886 |
| Woodbury | under 3% | A− | C− | 35 min | $131,480 |
| Watertown | 3% | A | B+ | 24 min | $101,691 |
| Oxford | under 3% | A+ | C− | 30 min | $128,953 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Middlebury’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 Middlebury: questions
What is the median household income in Middlebury?
$133,487 (±$26,311) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Middlebury?
5.8%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Middlebury?
25 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Middlebury work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waterbury (12%, 5 mi), Southbury (5%, 7 mi), Danbury (4%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Middlebury walkable?
Middlebury is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Middlebury 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 Middlebury, from the people who make the trip.
More of Middlebury
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.