David Lyman II House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0Middlefield has higher household incomes than 77% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in Middlefield itself; outside it, Middletown draws the most (11%, 4 miles). The poverty rate is 8.1%; Connecticut has 10.0%. Middlefield grades A− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Middlefield: the gist
The figures behind Middlefield’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Middlefield is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #66 of 155 in Connecticut. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 85% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. 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, Middlefield could be anywhere from B− to A+.
49% of the jobs in Middlefield make or build things
1,641 jobs are based in Middlefield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Middlefield, 2013 → 2023: 1,275 → 1,641. 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 Middlefield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Middlefield by day and by night
On a workday 1,922 residents head out to work, 176 work right here, and 1,465 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,800 people are in Middlefield on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 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.
Where the trip to work from Middlefield ends
Where Middlefield clocks in
8% 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.
Commuting from Middlefield: about 25 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Middlefield workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,966 commuters (the 11% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Middlefield
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.
Most of Middlefield commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Middlefield is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns, #117 of 155 in Connecticut. Both inputs place Middlefield 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 2,207 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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). 2.8% of Middlefield households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Middlefield’s commuters take a bus or train.
622nd of 4,039: where Middlefield ranks among U.S. towns of 3,000 to 5,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Bethany CT | 5,339 | $166K | 2.3% | 1.1% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 50 | Andover CT | 3,173 | $135K | 1.8% | 0.4% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 140 | East Granby CT | 5,432 | $121K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 620 | New Market Township MN | 3,574 | $130K | 2.3% | 6.4% | 4% | A− |
| 621 | Brown Township OH | 3,810 | $134K | 1.2% | 7.2% | 2% | A− |
| 622 | Middlefield CT | 4,276 | $100K | 8.1% | 2.9% | 8% | A− |
| 623 | Berlin MA | 3,486 | $121K | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5% | A− |
| 624 | Pohatcong Township NJ | 3,578 | $104K | 6.0% | 2.9% | 3% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,039 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Middlefield, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Bordering towns draw 20% of Middlefield’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Middlefield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlefield | – | A− | C+ | 25 min | $99,837 |
| Middletown | 11% | B | A | 23 min | $79,438 |
| Durham | 4% | A | C− | 23 min | $158,857 |
| Meriden | 5% | C+ | A | 23 min | $71,253 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Middletown. Darker towns draw more of Middlefield’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 Middlefield: questions
What is the median household income in Middlefield?
$99,837 (±$20,106) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Middlefield?
8.1%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Middlefield?
25 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Middlefield work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Middletown (11%, 4 mi), Hartford (8%, 18 mi), New Haven (6%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Middlefield walkable?
Middlefield is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Middlefield without a car?
2% 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 Middlefield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Middlefield
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.