Photo: Daderot · Public domainHousehold incomes in Framingham are higher than in 82% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 10.4% of residents, against 10.0% across Massachusetts. The two grades for Framingham are B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 8.0 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 Framingham apart on work
Framingham’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Framingham is better than 74% of U.S. towns, #181 of 283 in Massachusetts. Job access by car holds Framingham’s grade up (ahead of 93% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Framingham could be anywhere from B to A−.
17% of working residents work in Boston
Where Framingham clocks in
17% of workers
6% 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 a workday changes Framingham
On a workday 26,103 residents head out to work, 4,796 work right here, and 35,519 people come in from elsewhere.
About 82,000 people are in Framingham on a workday afternoon, 13% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.30 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.
71% of the jobs in Framingham pay over $3,333 a month
40,315 jobs are based in Framingham.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Framingham, 2013 → 2023: 43,693 → 40,315. 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 Framingham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Framingham takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Framingham workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 31,428 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 Framingham
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.
Framingham is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Framingham is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns, #63 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Framingham 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 39,089 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 62% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 24% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 8.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% 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). 8.6% of Framingham households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Framingham’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 602 U.S. towns of 51,000 to 99,000, Framingham comes 231st on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Newton MA | 90,741 | $190K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 79 | Somerville MA | 84,211 | $133K | 9.8% | 3.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 84 | Brookline MA | 63,414 | $142K | 8.7% | 3.6% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 229 | Rogers AR | 76,956 | $87K | 10.5% | 2.5% | 28% | B+ |
| 230 | San Marcos CA | 94,908 | $109K | 9.2% | 4.6% | 13% | B+ |
| 231 | Framingham MA | 73,021 | $107K | 10.4% | 4.8% | 16% | B+ |
| 232 | Bloomington MN | 89,034 | $93K | 9.2% | 4.8% | 20% | B+ |
| 233 | Petaluma CA | 59,688 | $115K | 6.5% | 4.6% | 23% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 602 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Framingham, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
How Framingham compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Natick (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Framingham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framingham | – | B+ | A | 30 min | $107,419 |
| Wayland | under 2% | A+ | B | 31 min | $224,000 |
| Natick | 6% | A | A | 31 min | $138,538 |
| Ashland | under 2% | A | A− | 37 min | $127,539 |
| Southborough | under 2% | A | A | 32 min | $196,808 |
| Sherborn | under 2% | A | B+ | 35 min | $250,000+ |
| Cochituate | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Sudbury | under 2% | A | B+ | 35 min | $236,250 |
| Marlborough | 3% | B+ | A− | 30 min | $91,968 |
Same-state neighbors only. Cochituate: 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 Framingham’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 Framingham: questions
What is the median household income in Framingham?
$107,419 (±$6,244) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Framingham?
10.4%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Framingham?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Framingham work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (17%, 22 mi), Natick (6%, 5 mi), Waltham (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Framingham walkable?
Framingham is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.9 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Framingham without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 24% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Framingham, from the people who make the trip.
More of Framingham
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.