Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Household incomes in Ludlow are higher than in 62% of U.S. towns
Ludlow grades B+ for jobs and income and B− for walkability. 6.8% of residents are in poverty; Massachusetts has 10.0%. About one in ten work in Ludlow itself; outside it, Springfield draws the most (23%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Ludlow
Commutes from Ludlow are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 29 across Massachusetts. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical Massachusetts worker. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Ludlow works one town over
32% of working residents work in a town that borders Ludlow: Springfield (23%), Chicopee (6%) and Wilbraham (3%). Next door ↓
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 figures behind Ludlow’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ludlow is better than 68% of U.S. towns, #198 of 283 in Massachusetts. Job access by car holds Ludlow’s grade up (ahead of 78% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.9%, 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, Ludlow could be anywhere from B− to A.
From Ludlow, about 20 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ludlow workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,983 commuters (the 14% 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.
Ludlow on a workday afternoon
On a workday 8,566 residents head out to work, 1,107 work right here, and 5,120 people come in from elsewhere.
About 18,000 people are in Ludlow on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.64 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.
Where the trip to work from Ludlow ends
Where Ludlow clocks in
23% of workers
6% 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.
65% of the jobs in Ludlow pay over $3,333 a month
6,227 jobs are based in Ludlow.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ludlow, 2013 → 2023: 6,189 → 6,227. 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 Ludlow’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Ludlow commutes
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.
The commute in Ludlow is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ludlow is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns, #229 of 283 in Massachusetts. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.9% 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 10,442 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 13% 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 2.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 70% 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). 4.9% of Ludlow households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Ludlow’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Ludlow ranks: 860th of 1,787 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 29,000
| # | 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 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Westwood MA | 16,426 | $223K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Hopkinton MA | 19,866 | $223K | 2.5% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 858 | Santa Fe Springs CA | 18,793 | $88K | 13.0% | 4.3% | 10% | B+ |
| 859 | Havre de Grace MD | 15,630 | $106K | 9.0% | 4.2% | 10% | B+ |
| 860 | Ludlow MA | 21,279 | $85K | 6.8% | 4.9% | 11% | B+ |
| 861 | Calabasas CA | 22,027 | $165K | 8.8% | 10.6% | 7% | B+ |
| 862 | Bensenville IL | 18,525 | $80K | 7.6% | 5.6% | 9% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,787 | 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 Ludlow, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
32% of Ludlow works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ludlow workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ludlow | – | B+ | B− | 20 min | $84,838 |
| Wilbraham | 3% | A | B− | 27 min | $122,051 |
| Springfield | 23% | C− | A | 20 min | $52,656 |
| Chicopee | 6% | C+ | A | 21 min | $62,615 |
| Granby | under 3% | A | C+ | 23 min | $119,297 |
| Belchertown | under 3% | A− | B− | 29 min | $108,068 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Springfield. Darker towns draw more of Ludlow’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 Ludlow: questions
What is the median household income in Ludlow?
$84,838 (±$6,856) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ludlow?
6.8%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ludlow?
20 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ludlow work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Springfield (23%, 6 mi), Chicopee (6%, 6 mi), West Springfield Town (3%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Ludlow walkable?
Ludlow is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ludlow without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ludlow, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ludlow
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.