Photo: ToddC4176 · CC BY-SA 3.0There are 1.8 jobs in Alford for every working resident, and 282 people commute in
Only 4% work in Alford itself; outside it, Great Barrington draws the most (12%, 5 miles). 289 jobs are based in Alford, and 160 of its residents work somewhere. A typical one-way commute from Alford lasts 26 minutes (Massachusetts 29, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Alford
On a workday 153 residents head out to work and 7 work right here.
About 620 people are in Alford on a workday afternoon, 26% more than live here.
1.8 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where the people who work in Alford live
Where Alford clocks in
12% of workers
9% of workers
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.
In Alford, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alford, 2013 → 2023: 24 → 289. 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 Alford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 26 minutes in Alford
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alford workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 182 commuters (the 22% who work from home are left out). Across Massachusetts: 75% drive alone, 8% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many miles Alford commutes
About 33% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Next door is work for 16% of Alford
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alford | – | — | — | 26 min | $121,042 |
| West Stockbridge | under 3% | B | B | 25 min | $107,083 |
| Great Barrington | 12% | C+ | A+ | 22 min | $84,132 |
| Egremont | 4% | B | B− | 44 min | $101,458 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Great Barrington. Darker towns draw more of Alford’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 Alford: questions
What is the median household income in Alford?
$121,042 (±$10,807) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alford?
2.3%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alford?
26 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alford work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Great Barrington (12%, 5 mi), Pittsfield (9%, 16 mi), Sheffield (8%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Alford without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alford
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.