DeSoto National Memorial · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0West Bradenton has lower unemployment (0.3%) than 98% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn West Bradenton A; getting around on foot earns it A−. Measured by household income, West Bradenton is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 31.0 in Miami.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in West Bradenton
West Bradenton and Bradenton trade workers both ways
Bradenton is the top workplace for West Bradenton residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in West Bradenton come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from West Bradenton are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 28 across Florida. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Florida worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Income, poverty and work: West Bradenton’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Bradenton is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #52 of 638 in Florida. Unemployment holds West Bradenton’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (10.2%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Bradenton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
22% of working residents work in Bradenton
Where West Bradenton clocks in
22% 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.
About 23 minutes to work from West Bradenton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Bradenton workers work from home, vs 16% across Florida. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,771 commuters (the 18% who work from home are left out). Across Florida: 83% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
In and out of West Bradenton on a workday
On a workday 1,766 residents head out to work, 57 work right here, and 892 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,100 people are in West Bradenton on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
0.52 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.
Services make up most of the work in West Bradenton
949 jobs are based in West Bradenton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Bradenton, 2013 → 2023: 879 → 949. 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 Bradenton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of West Bradenton commutes less than 10 miles
About 18% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
West Bradenton is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Bradenton is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #200 of 638 in Florida. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.6% across Florida.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,163 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, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 67% 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 West Bradenton households have no vehicle (Florida 6.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Bradenton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,177 U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,400, West Bradenton comes 543rd on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Bay Hill FL | 4,512 | $128K | 0.7% | 1.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 80 | Geneva FL | 3,441 | $133K | 0.6% | 0.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 82 | Windermere FL | 3,344 | $178K | 1.3% | 2.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 541 | Eagle WI | 3,536 | $126K | 6.2% | 3.5% | 2% | A |
| 542 | Parkman Township OH | 4,465 | $100K | 5.9% | 1.2% | 7% | A |
| 543 | West Bradenton FL | 3,991 | $116K | 10.2% | 0.3% | 3% | A |
| 544 | Waikapu HI | 3,591 | $123K | 4.8% | 1.8% | 2% | A |
| 545 | Elmsford NY | 5,203 | $120K | 8.7% | 3.7% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,177 | 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 West Bradenton, the top three, the last and three more from Florida.
The towns next door employ 22% of West Bradenton
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Bradenton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Bradenton | – | A | A− | 23 min | $116,272 |
| Bradenton | 22% | C | A− | 25 min | $60,822 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Bradenton. Darker towns draw more of West Bradenton’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 Bradenton: questions
What is the median household income in West Bradenton?
$116,272 (±$14,298) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,568 across Florida and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Bradenton?
10.2%, against 12.6% across Florida and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Bradenton?
23 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Florida and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Bradenton work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bradenton (22%, 2 mi), Sarasota (6%, 12 mi), South Bradenton (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Bradenton walkable?
West Bradenton is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 14.1 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Bradenton without a car?
0% 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 West Bradenton, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Bradenton
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.