Photo: Jerry Dougherty · CC BY 2.5Households in Watertown earn more than those in 78% of U.S. towns
About one in seven stay in Watertown for work; outside it, Waterbury is the main destination (16%, 6 miles). 4.3% of residents live below the poverty line (Connecticut 10.0%). Jobs and income earn Watertown A; getting around on foot earns it B+.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Watertown, in a few figures
The figures behind Watertown’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Watertown is better than 90% of U.S. towns, #34 of 155 in Connecticut. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Watertown could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Where the trip to work from Watertown ends
Where Watertown clocks in
16% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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 daily commute in and out of Watertown
On a workday 9,364 residents head out to work, 1,751 work right here, and 6,966 people come in from elsewhere.
About 20,000 people are in Watertown 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.
In Watertown, 29% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
8,717 jobs are based in Watertown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Watertown, 2013 → 2023: 7,993 → 8,717. 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 Watertown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Watertown: about 24 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Watertown workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,912 commuters (the 10% 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.
Where in the region Watertown works
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.
For most of Watertown, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Watertown is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns, #73 of 155 in Connecticut. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.8% 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 12,139 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 54% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 30% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 60% 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). 4.7% of Watertown households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Watertown’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Watertown is 282nd among 1,658 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | North Haven CT | 24,799 | $133K | 4.1% | 2.0% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Berlin CT | 20,698 | $114K | 3.4% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 80 | South Windsor CT | 27,036 | $145K | 4.9% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 280 | Columbine CO | 25,478 | $131K | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4% | A |
| 281 | Farmington UT | 26,266 | $127K | 5.4% | 3.2% | 10% | A |
| 282 | Watertown CT | 22,526 | $102K | 4.3% | 3.0% | 16% | A |
| 283 | Wethersfield CT | 27,291 | $127K | 6.9% | 3.4% | 6% | A |
| 284 | Milford Township MI | 18,008 | $110K | 5.3% | 3.1% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | 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 Watertown, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
20% of Watertown works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Watertown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown | – | A | B+ | 24 min | $101,691 |
| Thomaston | 2% | A− | B+ | 27 min | $103,218 |
| Waterbury | 16% | C− | A | 28 min | $51,886 |
| Woodbury | under 2% | A− | C− | 35 min | $131,480 |
| Bethlehem | under 2% | A− | B | 29 min | $108,929 |
| Middlebury | 2% | A | A− | 25 min | $133,487 |
| Morris | under 2% | B | C | 29 min | $109,191 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Waterbury. Darker towns draw more of Watertown’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 Watertown: questions
What is the median household income in Watertown?
$101,691 (±$6,987) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Watertown?
4.3%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Watertown?
24 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Watertown work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waterbury (16%, 6 mi), Hartford (4%, 25 mi), New York City (3%, 79 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Watertown walkable?
Watertown is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 9.4 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Watertown without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 30% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Watertown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Watertown
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.