Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Holland works elsewhere
Jobs and income earn Holland B+; getting around on foot earns it C. 134 jobs are based in Holland, against 1,152 working residents. Only 3% work in Holland itself; outside it, Sturbridge draws the most (9%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Holland at work: what stands out
Holland is a place people come home to
There are 134 jobs based in Holland, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Holland has about 1,600 people in it, 40% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Holland workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 29 across Massachusetts. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
The four measures behind Holland’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Holland is better than 73% of U.S. towns, #185 of 283 in Massachusetts. The poverty rate is its strongest input (5.9%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Holland could be anywhere from B− to A.
How a workday changes Holland
On a workday 1,115 residents head out to work, 37 work right here, and 97 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,600 people are in Holland on a workday afternoon, 40% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The trip to work from Holland: about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Holland workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,136 commuters (the 12% 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.
Commuting out of Holland: the destinations
Where Holland clocks in
9% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
65% of the jobs in Holland pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Holland, 2013 → 2023: 110 → 134. 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 Holland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Holland
About 22% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Few in Holland walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Holland is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns, #257 of 283 in Massachusetts. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 14.1% across Massachusetts, on an EPA index of 4.5.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,291 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). 3.1% of Holland households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Holland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Holland places 1,121st of 5,083 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 238 | Millville MA | 3,186 | $127K | 4.6% | 3.0% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 432 | Dunstable MA | 3,486 | $209K | 0.5% | 5.6% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 589 | Berlin MA | 3,486 | $121K | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,119 | Shamokin Township PA | 2,430 | $95K | 5.0% | 3.0% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,120 | Pecatonica IL | 2,052 | $73K | 7.0% | 1.6% | 9% | B+ |
| 1,121 | Holland MA | 2,577 | $92K | 5.9% | 3.9% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,122 | Sangerfield NY | 2,249 | $92K | 4.2% | 3.5% | 14% | B+ |
| 1,123 | South Pymatuning Township PA | 2,566 | $78K | 4.7% | 3.2% | 4% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,083 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Holland, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
The towns next door employ 13% of Holland
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Holland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland | – | B+ | C | 36 min | $91,979 |
| Wales | 4% | A− | C | 35 min | $89,006 |
| Brimfield | under 2% | A | D | 34 min | $111,250 |
| Sturbridge | 9% | A | C | 38 min | $136,759 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Sturbridge. Darker towns draw more of Holland’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 Holland: questions
What is the median household income in Holland?
$91,979 (±$11,542) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Holland?
5.9%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Holland?
36 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Holland work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sturbridge (9%, 6 mi), Worcester (8%, 24 mi), Southbridge Town (7%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Holland walkable?
Holland is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 4.5 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Holland without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Holland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Holland
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.