Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Households in Billerica earn more than those in 95% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Billerica are A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. 5.4% of residents are in poverty; Massachusetts has 10.0%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 47.9 in Boston.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Billerica: the gist
Billerica trades workers with the towns around it
Billerica has about as many jobs (25,209) as working residents (21,314), but they are mostly different people: 18,775 residents leave for work each day while 22,670 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Billerica are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs in Billerica pay over $40,000 a year
78% of the jobs based in Billerica pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Billerica draws workers from far and wide
The 25,209 jobs in Billerica are filled from a wide area. Billerica’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 29%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Billerica makes and builds things
35% of the jobs based in Billerica are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Billerica residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 17%. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Billerica’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Billerica is better than 92% of U.S. towns, #63 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income is its strongest input ($148,200, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Billerica could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Billerica on a workday afternoon
On a workday 18,775 residents head out to work, 2,539 work right here, and 22,670 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.18 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 35% of work in Billerica
25,209 jobs are based in Billerica.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Billerica, 2013 → 2023: 21,537 → 25,209. 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 Billerica’s own residents hold wherever they work.
10% of working residents work in Boston
Where Billerica clocks in
10% of workers
6% 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.
A commute of about 27 minutes in Billerica
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Billerica workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,161 commuters (the 20% 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.
Miles to work from Billerica
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 Billerica, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Billerica is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns, #134 of 283 in Massachusetts. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 14.1% across Massachusetts.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 23,803 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 53% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 8% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 64% 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). 4.2% of Billerica households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Billerica’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,011 U.S. towns of 30,000 to 58,000, Billerica comes 120th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Shrewsbury MA | 39,627 | $139K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | Arlington MA | 46,563 | $151K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 118 | Southington CT | 44,242 | $124K | 4.9% | 3.4% | 17% | A |
| 119 | Salem NH | 31,868 | $110K | 5.0% | 2.8% | 17% | A |
| 120 | Billerica MA | 42,632 | $148K | 5.4% | 3.8% | 12% | A |
| 121 | Friendswood TX | 41,319 | $127K | 3.6% | 4.4% | 9% | A |
| 122 | Clarksburg MD | 30,487 | $177K | 3.8% | 4.4% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,011 | 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 Billerica, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
13% of Billerica works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Burlington (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Billerica workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billerica | – | A | A− | 27 min | $148,200 |
| Wilmington | under 3% | A | A− | 30 min | $168,152 |
| Bedford | 4% | A− | A− | 26 min | $172,400 |
| Carlisle | under 3% | A+ | B− | 35 min | $250,000+ |
| Chelmsford | 3% | A | A− | 28 min | $140,629 |
| Burlington | 6% | A | A | 28 min | $146,436 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Billerica’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 Billerica: questions
What is the median household income in Billerica?
$148,200 (±$7,519) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Billerica?
5.4%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Billerica?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Billerica work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (10%, 20 mi), Burlington (6%, 5 mi), Woburn (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Billerica walkable?
Billerica is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.4 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Billerica without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 8% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Billerica, from the people who make the trip.
More of Billerica
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.