Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Household incomes in Stamford top those of 84% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Stamford are B+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Poverty touches 10.1% of residents (Connecticut 10.0%). Working residents average 29 minutes each way, where Connecticut has 27 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Stamford: the gist
Stamford’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Stamford is New York City, NY, 35 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (7,494) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A lot of Stamford workers cross into New York
20% of Stamford workers work outside Connecticut, most of them in New York, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Stamford’s working residents have a job less than 8 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 29 minutes, longer than the Connecticut average of 27. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in Stamford pay over $40,000 a year
77% of the jobs based in Stamford pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. 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.
The figures behind Stamford’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Stamford is better than 75% of U.S. towns, #97 of 155 in Connecticut. Job access by car holds Stamford’s grade up (ahead of 93% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Stamford could be anywhere from B+ to A−.
Stamford’s commute, mile by mile
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.
13% of working residents work in New York City
Where Stamford clocks in
13% of workers
10% 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.
Time on the road from Stamford: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Stamford workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 61,616 commuters (the 19% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Stamford
70,246 jobs are based in Stamford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Stamford, 2013 → 2023: 71,040 → 70,246. 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 Stamford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who commutes out of Stamford, and who commutes in
On a workday 38,048 residents head out to work, 19,299 work right here, and 50,947 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 (1.22 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.
Stamford is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 76,430 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 90% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 57% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 31.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 9.4% of Stamford households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 12% of Stamford’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Stamford ranks: 62nd of 258 U.S. towns of 98,000 to 188,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 2 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Fishers IN | 104,812 | $130K | 4.0% | 2.8% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Plantation FL | 99,183 | $93K | 10.0% | 4.0% | 10% | A− |
| 61 | Riverview FL | 113,697 | $100K | 7.5% | 4.3% | 6% | B+ |
| 62 | Stamford CT | 139,535 | $112K | 10.1% | 4.9% | 34% | B+ |
| 63 | Simi Valley CA | 124,861 | $122K | 6.4% | 5.0% | 18% | B+ |
| 64 | Miramar FL | 142,570 | $89K | 8.5% | 4.5% | 6% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 234 | Bridgeport CT | 152,273 | $59K | 21.0% | 9.0% | 21% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 241 | New Haven CT | 138,774 | $57K | 23.9% | 8.4% | 43% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 248 | Waterbury CT | 115,771 | $52K | 24.7% | 9.3% | 25% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 258 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | 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 Stamford, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Work next door: 13% of Stamford’s workers
The biggest share goes to Greenwich (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Stamford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stamford | – | B+ | A+ | 29 min | $111,586 |
| Darien | 2% | A | A+ | 39 min | $250,000+ |
| New Canaan | 1% | A | A | 38 min | $250,000+ |
| Greenwich | 10% | A− | A+ | 30 min | $206,130 |
| Old Greenwich | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Noroton | under 2% | — | — | 43 min | — |
| Noroton Heights | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Old Greenwich, Noroton and Noroton Heights: 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 Stamford’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 Stamford: questions
What is the median household income in Stamford?
$111,586 (±$4,563) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Stamford?
10.1%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Stamford?
29 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Stamford work?
34% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (13%, 35 mi), Greenwich (10%, 5 mi), Norwalk (6%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Stamford walkable?
Stamford is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.8 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Stamford without a car?
12% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 57% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Stamford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Stamford
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.