Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans · CC BY-SA 3.0Westwego has lower household incomes than 92% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Westwego are B− for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Poverty touches 20.2% of residents; Louisiana has 18.9%. Only 5% work in Westwego itself; outside it, New Orleans draws the most (20%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Westwego
Most Westwego residents work close to home
76% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. How far ↓
Westwego and New Orleans trade workers both ways
New Orleans is the top workplace for Westwego residents (20%) and also where the most people who work in Westwego come from (15% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Westwego than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Westwego fell from 2,522 in 2013 to 1,672 in 2023, −34%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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.
Inside Westwego’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westwego is better than 45% of U.S. towns, #49 of 161 in Louisiana. Job access by car holds Westwego’s grade up (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($46,261, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westwego could be anywhere from C to B.
Where in the region Westwego works
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.
Out of Westwego to work: where people go
Where Westwego clocks in
20% of workers
11% of workers
7% 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.
Inside Westwego’s 1,672 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westwego, 2013 → 2023: 2,522 → 1,672. 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 Westwego’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Westwego
On a workday 3,162 residents head out to work, 167 work right here, and 1,505 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,700 people are in Westwego on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.50 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 trip to work from Westwego: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westwego workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,329 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 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.
Most trips from Westwego start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westwego is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns, #78 of 161 in Louisiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Louisiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,479 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). 14.1% of Westwego households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Westwego’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 5,800 to 11,200, Westwego ranks 1,894th of 3,012 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 189 | Addis LA | 7,679 | $108K | 3.2% | 1.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 357 | Belle Chasse LA | 10,934 | $115K | 6.1% | 2.5% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 965 | Harahan LA | 8,916 | $80K | 7.5% | 3.8% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,892 | Black Township IN | 8,813 | $71K | 15.1% | 2.9% | 39% | B− |
| 1,893 | Brookhaven WV | 6,212 | $88K | 10.5% | 7.0% | 2% | B− |
| 1,894 | Westwego LA | 8,317 | $46K | 20.2% | 2.7% | 5% | B− |
| 1,895 | Luling TX | 5,920 | $55K | 10.0% | 2.7% | 15% | B− |
| 1,896 | Belmont NH | 7,408 | $69K | 10.3% | 3.3% | 8% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,012 | 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 Westwego, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
Bordering towns draw 26% of Westwego’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westwego workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westwego | – | B− | B− | 24 min | $46,261 |
| Bridge City | under 3% | C− | B+ | 24 min | $57,031 |
| Marrero | 6% | C− | B | 23 min | $41,402 |
| New Orleans | 20% | C | A+ | 23 min | $56,631 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to New Orleans. Darker towns draw more of Westwego’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 Westwego: questions
What is the median household income in Westwego?
$46,261 (±$9,559) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westwego?
20.2%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westwego?
24 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westwego work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Orleans (20%, 16 mi), Metairie (11%, 7 mi), Elmwood (7%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westwego walkable?
Westwego is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westwego without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westwego, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westwego
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.