Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Household incomes in Chelmsford are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Chelmsford grades A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Poverty touches 4.7% of residents (Massachusetts 10.0%). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.9 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
What sets Chelmsford apart on work
Chelmsford trades workers with the towns around it
Chelmsford has about as many jobs (21,509) as working residents (18,768), but they are mostly different people: 16,679 residents leave for work each day while 19,420 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Chelmsford are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Chelmsford’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Chelmsford is Boston, 26 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (1,816) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Chelmsford draws workers from far and wide
The 21,509 jobs in Chelmsford are filled from a wide area. Chelmsford’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 34%; the other 56% come from many towns beyond those. 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Chelmsford
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chelmsford is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #110 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income holds Chelmsford’s grade up ($140,629, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.3%, 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, Chelmsford could be anywhere from A− to A.
Who works in Chelmsford, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 16,679 residents head out to work, 2,089 work right here, and 19,420 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 (1.15 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.
How far Chelmsford goes to work
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.
10% of working residents work in Boston
Where Chelmsford clocks in
10% of workers
7% 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.
70% of the jobs in Chelmsford pay over $3,333 a month
21,509 jobs are based in Chelmsford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chelmsford, 2013 → 2023: 20,147 → 21,509. 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 Chelmsford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Chelmsford: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chelmsford workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,517 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.
Chelmsford 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, Chelmsford is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns, #129 of 283 in Massachusetts. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.2% 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 18,798 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 47% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 13% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 68% 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). 5.0% of Chelmsford households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Chelmsford’s commuters take a bus or train.
Chelmsford places 266th of 1,113 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 27,000 to 52,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Shrewsbury MA | 39,627 | $139K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Arlington MA | 46,563 | $151K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 264 | Manalapan Township NJ | 40,987 | $153K | 5.2% | 5.0% | 7% | A |
| 265 | Sun Prairie WI | 39,227 | $91K | 6.2% | 2.3% | 15% | A |
| 266 | Chelmsford MA | 38,549 | $141K | 4.7% | 5.3% | 11% | A |
| 267 | Teaneck Township NJ | 43,329 | $144K | 5.6% | 5.7% | 7% | A |
| 268 | Orangetown NY | 50,377 | $145K | 6.3% | 5.2% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,113 | 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 Chelmsford, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
14% of Chelmsford works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Lowell (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chelmsford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelmsford | – | A | A− | 28 min | $140,629 |
| Tyngsborough | under 3% | A− | C− | 24 min | $129,348 |
| Lowell | 7% | B− | A+ | 28 min | $78,658 |
| Westford | 3% | A | B | 31 min | $187,198 |
| Billerica | 4% | A | A− | 27 min | $148,200 |
| Carlisle | under 3% | A+ | B− | 35 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chelmsford’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 Chelmsford: questions
What is the median household income in Chelmsford?
$140,629 (±$8,110) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chelmsford?
4.7%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chelmsford?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chelmsford work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (10%, 26 mi), Lowell (7%, 4 mi), Billerica (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Chelmsford walkable?
Chelmsford is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.5 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chelmsford without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 13% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chelmsford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chelmsford
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.