Photo: Mmann1988 · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Brookhaven have higher incomes than those in 87% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 6.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 22.2 in Atlanta. 10.3% of residents are in poverty, next to 13.4% for Georgia as a whole. The two grades for Brookhaven are A for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Brookhaven: the figures worth knowing
Much of Brookhaven works one town over
48% of working residents work in a town that borders Brookhaven: Atlanta (34%), Sandy Springs (9%) and Dunwoody (3%). Next door ↓
Brookhaven draws workers from far and wide
The 34,974 jobs in Brookhaven are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 24%; the other 72% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
A lot of Brookhaven works from home
30% of Brookhaven workers work from home, against 16% across Georgia. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
76% of Brookhaven’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 75% of the jobs based in Brookhaven. The jobs ↓
Most Brookhaven residents work close to home
65% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. Only 5% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
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.
Why Brookhaven gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Brookhaven is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #24 of 263 in Georgia. Job access by car holds Brookhaven’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Brookhaven could be anywhere from A− to A.
34% of working residents work in Atlanta
Where Brookhaven clocks in
34% of workers
9% 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.
Brookhaven’s commute takes about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Brookhaven workers work from home, vs 16% across Georgia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 23,056 commuters (the 29% who work from home are left out). Across Georgia: 84% 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 Brookhaven, services account for most jobs
34,974 jobs are based in Brookhaven.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Brookhaven, 2013 → 2023: 27,553 → 34,974. 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 Brookhaven’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Brookhaven
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.
Brookhaven on a workday afternoon
On a workday 23,783 residents head out to work, 1,335 work right here, and 33,639 people come in from elsewhere.
About 69,000 people are in Brookhaven on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.39 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Good to walk, short on transit: Brookhaven
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Brookhaven is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns, #15 of 263 in Georgia. Both inputs place Brookhaven 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 32,690 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 86% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 21% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 88% 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). 7.0% of Brookhaven households have no vehicle (Georgia 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Brookhaven’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 42,000 to 81,000, Brookhaven ranks 174th of 737 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Dunwoody GA | 51,792 | $122K | 6.1% | 1.9% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 56 | Johns Creek GA | 80,401 | $160K | 4.2% | 4.1% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 149 | Alpharetta GA | 66,921 | $148K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 18% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 172 | Mentor OH | 47,010 | $89K | 5.2% | 2.9% | 24% | A |
| 173 | Prosper TX | 45,605 | $195K | 5.5% | 5.6% | 9% | A |
| 174 | Brookhaven GA | 59,643 | $118K | 10.3% | 3.2% | 5% | A |
| 175 | Oswego Township IL | 61,778 | $114K | 5.2% | 4.4% | 8% | A |
| 176 | Mount Juliet TN | 45,172 | $107K | 6.0% | 3.8% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 737 | 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 Brookhaven, the top three, the last and three more from Georgia.
Work next door: 48% of Brookhaven’s workers
The biggest share goes to Atlanta (34%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Brookhaven workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | – | A | A | 25 min | $117,663 |
| Chamblee | 2% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $84,452 |
| North Druid Hills | under 2% | A | A+ | 23 min | $102,742 |
| Atlanta | 34% | B− | A+ | 27 min | $85,652 |
| Dunwoody | 3% | A+ | A | 25 min | $121,903 |
| Sandy Springs | 9% | A− | A | 26 min | $104,340 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Brookhaven’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 Brookhaven: questions
What is the median household income in Brookhaven?
$117,663 (±$10,248) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,353 across Georgia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Brookhaven?
10.3%, against 13.4% across Georgia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Brookhaven?
25 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Georgia and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Brookhaven work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Atlanta (34%, 8 mi), Sandy Springs (9%, 5 mi), Alpharetta (4%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Brookhaven walkable?
Brookhaven is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.7 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Brookhaven without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 21% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Brookhaven, from the people who make the trip.
More of Brookhaven
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.