At 8.7%, unemployment in West Park is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for West Park are C+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 5.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 31.0 in Miami. Working from home is the commute for 8% of workers; Florida has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in West Park: the gist
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in West Park
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Park is better than 39% of U.S. towns, #429 of 638 in Florida. Job access by car holds West Park’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Park could be anywhere from C to B.
Commuting from West Park: about 33 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Park workers work from home, vs 16% across Florida. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,888 commuters (the 8% 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.
West Park by day and by night
On a workday 6,697 residents head out to work, 125 work right here, and 2,227 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in West Park on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.34 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.
11% of working residents work in Miami
Where West Park clocks in
11% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
West Park makes things: 32% of its jobs are in goods
2,352 jobs are based in West Park.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Park, 2013 → 2023: 2,110 → 2,352. 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 Park’s own residents hold wherever they work.
West Park’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.
Good to walk, short on transit: West Park
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Park is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns, #119 of 638 in Florida. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, above 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 7,455 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, 44% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 86% 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). 6.2% of West Park households have no vehicle (Florida 6.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of West Park’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 11,000 to 21,000, West Park ranks 1,536th of 2,109 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 80 | Pinecrest FL | 18,635 | $206K | 4.3% | 3.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Lake Butler FL | 17,125 | $183K | 3.7% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 135 | Palm Valley FL | 19,796 | $117K | 4.2% | 1.2% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,534 | Horseheads NY | 18,383 | $69K | 12.8% | 4.9% | 22% | C+ |
| 1,535 | Mango FL | 13,242 | $53K | 14.6% | 5.3% | 3% | C+ |
| 1,536 | West Park FL | 15,444 | $66K | 14.6% | 8.7% | 2% | C+ |
| 1,537 | Sulphur LA | 20,492 | $62K | 16.0% | 4.3% | 19% | C+ |
| 1,538 | Andrews TX | 13,665 | $74K | 16.8% | 3.7% | 35% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,109 | 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 West Park, the top three, the last and three more from Florida.
The towns around West Park
The biggest share goes to Miami Gardens (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Park workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Park | – | C+ | A | 33 min | $65,952 |
| Pembroke Park | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 33 min | $52,928 |
| Ives Estates | under 2% | B− | A | 34 min | $72,239 |
| Miami Gardens | 3% | C+ | A | 32 min | $63,627 |
| Miramar | 3% | B+ | A− | 31 min | $89,125 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Park’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 Park: questions
What is the median household income in West Park?
$65,952 (±$8,476) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,568 across Florida and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Park?
14.6%, against 12.6% across Florida and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Park?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Florida and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Park work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Miami (11%, 15 mi), Fort Lauderdale (8%, 11 mi), Hollywood (7%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Park walkable?
West Park is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 14.0 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Park without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 44% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Park, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Park
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.