Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Burlington has higher household incomes than 95% of U.S. towns
5.9% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 10.0% for Massachusetts as a whole. The two grades for Burlington are A for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 4.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 47.9 in Boston.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Burlington stands out on work
Burlington is where the jobs are
Burlington has 39,401 jobs, 2.9 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 53,000 people are in town, 97% more than the 27,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Burlington draws workers from far and wide
The 39,401 jobs in Burlington are filled from a wide area. Burlington’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 24%; the other 71% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
77% of Burlington’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 78% of the jobs based in Burlington. The jobs ↓
The biggest group of Burlington’s workers comes from Boston
2,963 of the people who work in Burlington live in Boston, 15 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
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.
Burlington’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Burlington is better than 90% of U.S. towns, #85 of 283 in Massachusetts. Job access by car holds Burlington’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Burlington could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Burlington on a workday afternoon
On a workday 11,718 residents head out to work, 1,797 work right here, and 37,604 people come in from elsewhere.
About 53,000 people are in Burlington on a workday afternoon, 97% more than live here.
2.9 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.
Commuting in to Burlington: where workers come from
Where Burlington clocks in
18% 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.
78% of the jobs in Burlington pay over $3,333 a month
39,401 jobs are based in Burlington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burlington, 2013 → 2023: 42,394 → 39,401. 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 Burlington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Burlington spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burlington workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,808 commuters (the 23% 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 in the region Burlington 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Burlington
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Burlington is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #94 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Burlington 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 13,947 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 48% 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 4.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 83% 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). 3.4% of Burlington households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Burlington’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 19,000 to 36,000, Burlington ranks 271st of 1,477 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Hopkinton MA | 19,866 | $223K | 2.5% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 269 | Walpole MA | 26,237 | $172K | 3.6% | 5.3% | 9% | A |
| 270 | Sugar Grove Township IL | 21,157 | $125K | 4.9% | 3.6% | 4% | A |
| 271 | Burlington MA | 26,778 | $146K | 5.9% | 4.4% | 13% | A |
| 272 | West Haven UT | 25,627 | $101K | 6.2% | 1.4% | 5% | A |
| 273 | Decatur GA | 25,276 | $139K | 6.2% | 4.3% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,477 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Burlington, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Bordering towns draw 15% of Burlington’s workers
The biggest share goes to Woburn (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Burlington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | – | A | A | 28 min | $146,436 |
| Lexington | 3% | A+ | A+ | 31 min | $238,444 |
| Woburn | 5% | B+ | A | 25 min | $111,185 |
| Wilmington | 2% | A | A− | 30 min | $168,152 |
| Billerica | 2% | A | A− | 27 min | $148,200 |
| Pinehurst | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Bedford | 3% | A− | A− | 26 min | $172,400 |
Same-state neighbors only. Pinehurst: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Burlington’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 Burlington: questions
What is the median household income in Burlington?
$146,436 (±$14,210) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burlington?
5.9%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burlington?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burlington work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (18%, 15 mi), Cambridge (6%, 10 mi), Woburn (5%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Burlington walkable?
Burlington is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.5 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Burlington without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 8% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Burlington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burlington
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.