Dayton High School · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainDayton has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.3 for each
Jobs and income earn Dayton B−; getting around on foot earns it A. 772 jobs are based in Dayton for 2,829 working residents. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 3.0 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 4.7 in Louisville.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Dayton in brief
A lot of Dayton workers cross into Ohio
36% of Dayton workers work outside Kentucky, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Cincinnati (19%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Dayton is a place people come home to
There are 772 jobs based in Dayton, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Dayton has about 3,900 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 Dayton: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Dayton is better than 46% of U.S. towns, #59 of 142 in Kentucky. Job access by car holds Dayton’s grade up (ahead of 89% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (15.9%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Dayton could be anywhere from C to B+.
19% of working residents work in Cincinnati
Where Dayton clocks in
19% of workers
5% 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.
Dayton on a workday afternoon
On a workday 2,708 residents head out to work, 121 work right here, and 651 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,900 people are in Dayton on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.
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 kinds of work in Dayton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dayton, 2013 → 2023: 817 → 772. 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 Dayton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 22 minutes each way, about the KY average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dayton workers work from home, vs 10% across Kentucky. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,492 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Kentucky: 85% 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 distance from Dayton 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.
In Dayton, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Dayton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #5 of 142 in Kentucky. Both inputs place Dayton 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 2,856 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 66% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 75% 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). 11.7% of Dayton households have no vehicle (Kentucky 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Dayton’s commuters take a bus or train.
2,017th of 3,394: where Dayton ranks among U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,100
| # | 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 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Union KY | 7,937 | $137K | 2.9% | 1.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 279 | Fort Wright KY | 6,240 | $105K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 295 | Prospect KY | 4,705 | $163K | 2.4% | 4.2% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,015 | Flagler Estates FL | 4,321 | $76K | 11.4% | 2.5% | 1% | B− |
| 2,016 | Louisburg KS | 5,299 | $69K | 9.7% | 5.9% | 9% | B− |
| 2,017 | Dayton KY | 5,974 | $66K | 15.9% | 5.0% | 4% | B− |
| 2,018 | Floyd Township IN | 4,276 | $88K | 10.9% | 4.8% | 3% | B− |
| 2,019 | Marbletown NY | 5,759 | $114K | 11.7% | 5.7% | 12% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,394 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | 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 Dayton, the top three, the last and three more from Kentucky.
The towns next door employ 24% of Dayton
The biggest share goes to Cincinnati (19%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dayton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | – | B− | A | 22 min | $65,992 |
| Fort Thomas | 3% | A | A− | 21 min | $104,350 |
| Bellevue | 2% | B+ | A | 19 min | $71,166 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Dayton’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 Dayton: questions
What is the median household income in Dayton?
$65,992 (±$6,515) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,726 across Kentucky and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dayton?
15.9%, against 16.1% across Kentucky and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dayton?
22 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Kentucky and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dayton work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cincinnati (19%, 3 mi), Covington (5%, 6 mi), Newport (5%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Dayton walkable?
Dayton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.3 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Dayton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 66% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dayton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dayton
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.