Photo: Terageorge~commonswiki · CC BY-SA 4.0Holden’s household incomes are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in Holden itself; outside it, Worcester draws the most (27%, 7 miles). The poverty rate is 4.4%, where Massachusetts as a whole has 10.0%. Holden grades A− for jobs and income and C− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Holden: the gist
Holden and Worcester trade workers both ways
Worcester is the top workplace for Holden residents (27%) and also where the most people who work in Holden come from (15% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Holden empties out on a workday
About 14,000 people are in Holden on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than the 21,000 who live here: 9,200 head out to work and 2,900 come in. Day and night ↓
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.
Why Holden gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Holden is better than 85% of U.S. towns, #120 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income holds Holden’s grade up ($141,923, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, 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, Holden could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Where Holden’s working residents head each day
Where Holden clocks in
27% of workers
7% of workers
3% 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.
In and out of Holden on a workday
On a workday 9,238 residents head out to work, 728 work right here, and 2,928 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Holden on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
0.37 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
What work there is in Holden: 3,656 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Holden, 2013 → 2023: 3,202 → 3,656. 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 Holden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Holden: about 27 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Holden workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,127 commuters (the 18% 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.
The distance from Holden 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.
In Holden, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Holden is more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns, #266 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Holden 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 9,930 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 1.7% of Holden households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Holden’s commuters take a bus or train.
527th of 1,931: where Holden ranks among U.S. towns of 14,000 to 28,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Westwood MA | 16,426 | $223K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Hopkinton MA | 19,866 | $223K | 2.5% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 525 | North Salt Lake UT | 23,588 | $101K | 5.9% | 3.9% | 7% | A− |
| 526 | East Bridgewater MA | 14,602 | $134K | 4.6% | 5.1% | 7% | A− |
| 527 | Holden MA | 20,526 | $142K | 4.4% | 4.7% | 7% | A− |
| 528 | Narragansett RI | 14,291 | $96K | 19.0% | 5.6% | 15% | A− |
| 529 | Windsor CA | 25,864 | $134K | 5.9% | 3.6% | 11% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,931 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Holden, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
The towns around Holden
The biggest share goes to West Boylston (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Holden workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden | – | A− | C− | 27 min | $141,923 |
| Paxton | under 2% | A | B | 31 min | $134,083 |
| Rutland | under 2% | A− | C− | 37 min | $145,707 |
| West Boylston | 2% | A− | B | 25 min | $104,551 |
| Princeton | under 2% | A+ | B− | 37 min | $158,750 |
| Sterling | under 2% | A− | B+ | 34 min | $129,063 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Holden’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 Holden: questions
What is the median household income in Holden?
$141,923 (±$10,959) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Holden?
4.4%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Holden?
27 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Holden work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Worcester (27%, 7 mi), Boston (7%, 43 mi), Marlborough (3%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Holden walkable?
Holden is more walkable than 21% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Holden without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Holden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Holden
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.