Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Andover are higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 47.9 in Boston. Below the poverty line: 2.9% of residents, next to 10.0% across Massachusetts. Andover grades 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
Andover at work: what stands out
Andover is where the jobs are
Andover has 34,345 jobs, 2.3 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 56,000 people are in town, 52% more than the 37,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs in Andover pay over $40,000 a year
82% of the jobs based in Andover pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
A lot of Andover works from home
30% of Andover workers work from home, against 19% across Massachusetts. Time on the road ↓
Andover draws workers from far and wide
The 34,345 jobs in Andover are filled from a wide area. Andover’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 32%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Andover’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Andover is Boston, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (1,804) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Andover’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Andover is better than 90% of U.S. towns, #80 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income holds Andover’s grade up ($172,606, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Andover could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Andover on a workday afternoon
On a workday 12,628 residents head out to work, 2,418 work right here, and 31,927 people come in from elsewhere.
About 56,000 people are in Andover on a workday afternoon, 52% more than live here.
2.3 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.
Factories, building and farms: 28% of the jobs in Andover
34,345 jobs are based in Andover.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Andover, 2013 → 2023: 32,656 → 34,345. 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 Andover’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Andover, about 29 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Andover workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,254 commuters (the 30% 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.
Where Andover’s workers come from
Where Andover clocks in
12% of workers
4% 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.
How many miles Andover commutes
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.
Andover is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Andover is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #71 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Andover 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 19,050 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 52% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 14% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 77% 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). 3.3% of Andover households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Andover’s commuters take a bus or train.
Andover places 202nd of 1,162 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 26,000 to 50,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Shrewsbury MA | 39,627 | $139K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Arlington MA | 46,563 | $151K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 200 | Algonquin IL | 30,824 | $135K | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4% | A |
| 201 | Harrison NY | 32,273 | $164K | 4.1% | 5.5% | 10% | A |
| 202 | Andover MA | 37,014 | $173K | 2.9% | 5.6% | 16% | A |
| 203 | Hutto TX | 46,048 | $119K | 5.7% | 3.4% | 3% | A |
| 204 | Walpole MA | 26,237 | $172K | 3.6% | 5.3% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,162 | 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 Andover, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
The towns next door employ 12% of Andover
The biggest share goes to Lawrence (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Andover workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andover | – | A | A | 29 min | $172,606 |
| Tewksbury | 2% | A | B+ | 30 min | $128,061 |
| Methuen | under 2% | B+ | A− | 28 min | $113,310 |
| Wilmington | 3% | A | A− | 30 min | $168,152 |
| Dracut | under 2% | A− | A− | 30 min | $114,036 |
| Lawrence | 4% | C | A+ | 23 min | $60,433 |
| North Andover | 3% | A | A− | 32 min | $140,670 |
| North Reading | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 34 min | $147,768 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Andover’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 Andover: questions
What is the median household income in Andover?
$172,606 (±$15,526) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Andover?
2.9%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Andover?
29 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Andover work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (12%, 23 mi), Lawrence (4%, 4 mi), Woburn (3%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Andover walkable?
Andover is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.3 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Andover without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 14% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Andover, from the people who make the trip.
More of Andover
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.