Photo: Jzela Iraheta · CC BY 3.0Households in Westlake have higher incomes than those in 92% of U.S. towns
3.2% of residents are in poverty, where Florida as a whole has 12.6%. Westlake grades A for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Only 1% stay in Westlake for work; outside it, West Palm Beach is the main destination (14%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Westlake, in brief
Westlake workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 45 minutes each way, against 28 across Florida. Over a year that’s about 345 hours of commuting, 130 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Westlake
71% of Westlake residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 38% of the jobs based in Westlake pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 99% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Westlake is a place people come home to
There are 301 jobs based in Westlake, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
42% of the jobs in Westlake are in trade, transport and utilities, against 16% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Westlake pay little
26% of the jobs based in Westlake pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 32% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. 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.
Jobs & income in Westlake: the grade in detail
Household income is its strongest input ($131,925, U.S. $80,734); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 64% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westlake could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The trip to work from Westlake: about 45 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westlake workers work from home, vs 16% across Florida. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,767 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.
What Westlake’s employers do
301 jobs are based in Westlake.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westlake, 2013 → 2023: 324 → 301. 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 Westlake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Westlake: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 2,088 residents head out to work, 22 work right here, and 279 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,200 people are in Westlake on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.14 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.
The places Westlake commutes to
Where Westlake clocks in
8% 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 distance from Westlake 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.
Most trips from Westlake start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westlake is more walkable than 47% of U.S. towns, #482 of 638 in Florida. Both inputs place Westlake near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,145 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 0.1% of Westlake households have no vehicle (Florida 6.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Westlake’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Westlake is 342nd of 2,891 U.S. towns of 6,300 to 12,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Pimmit Hills VA | 6,589 | $173K | 1.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Braddock VA | 6,536 | $212K | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Southwest Ranches FL | 7,773 | $161K | 3.8% | 1.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 183 | Neptune Beach FL | 7,020 | $119K | 3.1% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 340 | Penn Township PA | 10,693 | $88K | 4.7% | 0.8% | 10% | A |
| 341 | Blackhawk CA | 10,137 | $245K | 5.6% | 3.0% | 3% | A |
| 342 | Westlake FL | 9,042 | $132K | 3.2% | 2.8% | 1% | A |
| 343 | Marlboro Village MD | 9,382 | $123K | 2.5% | 4.6% | <1% | A |
| 344 | Olivette MO | 8,937 | $112K | 4.3% | 3.9% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 405 | Lakeland Highlands FL | 12,102 | $108K | 2.7% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,891 | 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 Westlake, the top three, the last and three more from Florida.
How Westlake compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westlake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake | – | A | B− | 45 min | $131,925 |
| The Acreage | under 3% | A− | C− | 38 min | $109,032 |
| Loxahatchee Groves | under 3% | B | A− | 29 min | $111,699 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westlake’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 Westlake: questions
What is the median household income in Westlake?
$131,925 (±$18,873) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,568 across Florida and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westlake?
3.2%, against 12.6% across Florida and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westlake?
45 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Florida and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westlake work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are West Palm Beach (14%, 11 mi), Palm Springs (8%, 15 mi), Palm Beach Gardens (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westlake walkable?
Westlake is more walkable than 47% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westlake without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and <1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westlake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westlake
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.