Photo: Photograph by Greg O'Beirne · CC BY 2.5Household incomes in Tolland are higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 5.3% of residents (Connecticut 10.0%). The two grades for Tolland are A+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. About one in ten stay in Tolland for work; outside it, Hartford is the main destination (12%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Tolland, in brief
The four measures behind Tolland’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Tolland is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #9 of 155 in Connecticut. Unemployment is its strongest input (1.2%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 78% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Tolland could be anywhere from A to A+.
How long Tolland spends getting to work: about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Tolland workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,484 commuters (the 21% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Tolland
On a workday 6,479 residents head out to work, 608 work right here, and 2,749 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Tolland on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.47 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.
Out of Tolland to work: where people go
Where Tolland clocks in
12% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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 3,357 jobs based in Tolland
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Tolland, 2013 → 2023: 3,415 → 3,357. 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 Tolland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Tolland to work
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.
Few in Tolland walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Tolland is more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns, #148 of 155 in Connecticut. Both inputs place Tolland 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 8,162 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 2.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% 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). 1.1% of Tolland households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Tolland’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Tolland ranks: 142nd of 2,362 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 20,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 140 | Babylon NY | 12,281 | $141K | 3.5% | 3.5% | 8% | A+ |
| 141 | Ellington CT | 16,594 | $130K | 2.4% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 142 | Tolland CT | 14,752 | $133K | 5.3% | 1.2% | 9% | A+ |
| 143 | Travilah MD | 11,721 | $250K | 1.7% | 4.3% | 4% | A+ |
| 144 | Kings Park West VA | 13,442 | $170K | 6.2% | 2.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 154 | Colchester CT | 15,825 | $122K | 3.9% | 1.7% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 165 | Oxford CT | 13,311 | $129K | 4.0% | 2.3% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 198 | Orange CT | 14,416 | $142K | 3.9% | 3.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,362 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Tolland, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Work in the towns next to Tolland
The biggest share goes to Vernon (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Tolland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tolland | – | A+ | C− | 32 min | $133,264 |
| Willington | under 3% | A− | D | 26 min | $91,114 |
| Ellington | 3% | A+ | C+ | 31 min | $129,913 |
| Coventry | under 3% | A | C− | 27 min | $108,213 |
| Crystal Lake | under 3% | — | — | 39 min | — |
| Vernon | 4% | B− | A− | 27 min | $85,356 |
| Rockville | under 3% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Crystal Lake and Rockville: 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 Tolland’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 Tolland: questions
What is the median household income in Tolland?
$133,264 (±$15,911) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Tolland?
5.3%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Tolland?
32 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Tolland work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hartford (12%, 18 mi), Manchester (7%, 11 mi), East Hartford (5%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Tolland walkable?
Tolland is more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Tolland without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Tolland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Tolland
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.