West Haven Green Historic District · Photo: The original uploader was Polaron at English Wikipedia. · CC BY 2.5Unemployment in West Haven (7.3%) is higher than in 84% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income West Haven is better than 44% of U.S. towns (C+); for walkability it is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (A). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 7.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 31.8 in Stamford. About one in seven work in West Haven; the top destination outside it is New Haven (18%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from West Haven, in brief
What’s behind West Haven’s Jobs & income grade
Job access by car holds West Haven’s grade up (ahead of 89% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Haven could be anywhere from C+ to B−.
How many people are in West Haven by day
On a workday 21,146 residents head out to work, 3,031 work right here, and 12,176 people come in from elsewhere.
About 46,000 people are in West Haven on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.63 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.
Commuting out of West Haven: the destinations
Where West Haven clocks in
18% 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.
Jobs in West Haven: what the 15,207 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Haven, 2013 → 2023: 14,313 → 15,207. 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 West Haven’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from West Haven: about 23 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Haven workers work from home, vs 16% across Connecticut. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 23,799 commuters (the 9% 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 distance from West Haven 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.
In West Haven, walking beats the bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 26,208 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 61% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% 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). 10.9% of West Haven households have no vehicle (Connecticut 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of West Haven’s commuters take a bus or train.
580th of 786: where West Haven ranks among U.S. towns of 39,000 to 75,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 79 | Southington CT | 44,242 | $124K | 4.9% | 3.4% | 17% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 135 | West Hartford CT | 64,242 | $130K | 6.3% | 4.1% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 174 | Wallingford CT | 44,406 | $105K | 5.4% | 3.9% | 21% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 578 | Dubuque IA | 59,148 | $66K | 12.7% | 4.5% | 61% | C+ |
| 579 | Highland CA | 57,614 | $77K | 17.1% | 6.2% | 3% | C+ |
| 580 | West Haven CT | 55,351 | $74K | 14.1% | 7.3% | 13% | C+ |
| 581 | Conway AR | 72,328 | $63K | 16.9% | 3.6% | 41% | C+ |
| 582 | Penn Township IN | 68,726 | $66K | 12.5% | 5.3% | 20% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 786 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 West Haven, the top three, the last and three more from Connecticut.
Work next door: 29% of West Haven’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Haven workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Haven | – | C+ | A | 23 min | $74,382 |
| Milford | 7% | A | A− | 25 min | $110,669 |
| New Haven | 18% | C− | A+ | 22 min | $56,851 |
| Orange | 4% | A+ | B | 28 min | $142,325 |
| Woodmont | under 3% | A+ | A | 29 min | $91,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to New Haven. Darker towns draw more of West Haven’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 West Haven: questions
What is the median household income in West Haven?
$74,382 (±$4,572) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,781 across Connecticut and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Haven?
14.1%, against 10.0% across Connecticut and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Haven?
23 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Connecticut and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Haven work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Haven (18%, 4 mi), Milford (7%, 6 mi), North Haven (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Haven walkable?
West Haven is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.9 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Haven without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 61% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Haven, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Haven
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.