Unemployment in Scottdale (5.9%) is higher than in 73% of U.S. towns
Only 1% work in Scottdale itself; outside it, Atlanta draws the most (31%, 9 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 30 minutes; Georgia averages 28, the U.S. 26. Measured by household income, Scottdale is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Scottdale apart on work
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Scottdale’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 30 minutes, longer than the Georgia average of 28. Time on the road ↓
31% of Scottdale works in Atlanta
1,389 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Atlanta, 9.3 miles away. That’s 31 times as many as work in Scottdale itself. The commute map ↓
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 Scottdale gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Scottdale is better than 56% of U.S. towns, #81 of 263 in Georgia. Job access by car holds Scottdale’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Scottdale could be anywhere from C+ to A.
About 30 minutes each way, about the GA average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Scottdale workers work from home, vs 16% across Georgia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,956 commuters (the 20% 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.
The towns that employ Scottdale’s residents
Where Scottdale clocks in
31% of workers
5% of workers
3% 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.
Scottdale by day and by night
On a workday 4,373 residents head out to work, 58 work right here, and 3,303 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,500 people are in Scottdale on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.76 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.
Goods jobs make up 28% of work in Scottdale
3,361 jobs are based in Scottdale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Scottdale, 2013 → 2023: 4,330 → 3,361. 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 Scottdale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Scottdale
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.
Scottdale is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,960 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 88% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 47% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 12.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 95% 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). 11.6% of Scottdale households have no vehicle (Georgia 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Scottdale’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Scottdale is 1,540th among 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Tyrone GA | 8,091 | $136K | 2.4% | 1.3% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 426 | Flowery Branch GA | 13,110 | $104K | 6.1% | 2.4% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 596 | Druid Hills GA | 8,169 | $130K | 9.3% | 3.6% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,538 | Allegheny Township PA | 8,134 | $80K | 9.7% | 4.2% | 6% | B |
| 1,539 | Derry Township PA | 7,244 | $69K | 6.6% | 2.4% | 13% | B |
| 1,540 | Scottdale GA | 10,542 | $86K | 14.4% | 5.9% | 1% | B |
| 1,541 | Woodfin NC | 8,229 | $71K | 14.1% | 3.0% | 6% | B |
| 1,542 | Windsor Locks CT | 12,617 | $81K | 10.9% | 5.8% | 12% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | 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 Scottdale, the top three, the last and three more from Georgia.
How Scottdale compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to North Decatur (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Scottdale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottdale | – | B | A | 30 min | $85,610 |
| Clarkston | under 2% | C− | A | 31 min | $48,564 |
| Decatur | 2% | A | A+ | 26 min | $139,397 |
| North Decatur | 3% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $110,871 |
| Avondale Estates | under 2% | A+ | A | 30 min | $123,795 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Scottdale’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 Scottdale: questions
What is the median household income in Scottdale?
$85,610 (±$9,827) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,353 across Georgia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Scottdale?
14.4%, against 13.4% across Georgia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Scottdale?
30 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Georgia and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Scottdale work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Atlanta (31%, 9 mi), Sandy Springs (5%, 11 mi), Tucker (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Scottdale walkable?
Scottdale is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.1 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Scottdale without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 47% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Scottdale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Scottdale
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.