Johnson Helm House · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in West Samoset earn less than those in 82% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 31.0 in Miami. The poverty rate is 16.4%; Florida has 12.6%. Jobs and income earn West Samoset C; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
West Samoset and work: the main findings
West Samoset has added jobs fast
Jobs based in West Samoset went from 1,022 in 2013 to 1,420 in 2023, +39%. The jobs ↓
Fewer than half of West Samoset workers earn over $40,000 a year
44% of West Samoset’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 15% earn $1,250 a month or less. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How West Samoset earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Samoset is better than 27% of U.S. towns, #524 of 638 in Florida. Job access by car holds West Samoset’s grade up (ahead of 75% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($54,352, U.S. $80,734).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Samoset could be anywhere from D to B+.
The 1,420 jobs based in West Samoset
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Samoset, 2013 → 2023: 1,022 → 1,420. 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 Samoset’s own residents hold wherever they work.
West Samoset by day and by night
On a workday 2,302 residents head out to work, 50 work right here, and 1,370 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,500 people are in West Samoset on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.60 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.
14% of working residents work in Bradenton
Where West Samoset clocks in
14% 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.
A commute of about 25 minutes in West Samoset
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Samoset workers work from home, vs 16% across Florida. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,970 commuters (the 7% 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.
The commute from West Samoset, by distance
About 23% 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.
In West Samoset, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Samoset is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #109 of 638 in Florida. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.4% 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 3,208 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, 74% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 65% 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). 10.5% of West Samoset households have no vehicle (Florida 6.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of West Samoset’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Samoset places 2,422nd of 3,083 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 5,200 to 10,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Southwest Ranches FL | 7,773 | $161K | 3.8% | 1.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 179 | Neptune Beach FL | 7,020 | $119K | 3.1% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 335 | Westlake FL | 9,042 | $132K | 3.2% | 2.8% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,420 | Iron Mountain MI | 7,469 | $59K | 13.5% | 4.2% | 43% | C |
| 2,421 | Sullivan MO | 6,942 | $63K | 11.4% | 5.9% | 26% | C |
| 2,422 | West Samoset FL | 7,429 | $54K | 16.4% | 6.6% | 2% | C |
| 2,423 | Richmond MO | 5,968 | $60K | 16.3% | 3.6% | 23% | C |
| 2,424 | Windsor NY | 5,648 | $73K | 11.1% | 8.9% | 10% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,083 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Samoset, the top three, the last and three more from Florida.
Work next door: 14% of West Samoset’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Samoset workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Samoset | – | C | A | 25 min | $54,352 |
| Bradenton | 14% | C | A− | 25 min | $60,822 |
| Samoset | under 2% | C− | A− | 25 min | $51,976 |
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 Samoset’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 Samoset: questions
What is the median household income in West Samoset?
$54,352 (±$12,230) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,568 across Florida and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Samoset?
16.4%, against 12.6% across Florida and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Samoset?
25 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Florida and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Samoset work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bradenton (14%, 2 mi), Sarasota (5%, 9 mi), South Bradenton (3%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Samoset walkable?
West Samoset is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Samoset without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 74% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Samoset, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Samoset
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.