Photo: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0Middleton has higher household incomes than 97% of U.S. towns
About one in ten stay in Middleton for work; outside it, Boston is the main destination (16%, 19 miles). 3.4% of residents live below the poverty line, against 10.0% across Massachusetts. The two grades for Middleton are 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
Work in Middleton: the figures worth knowing
Middleton trades workers with the towns around it
Middleton has about as many jobs (5,071) as working residents (4,310), but they are mostly different people: 3,942 residents leave for work each day while 4,703 people come in. Only 7% of the jobs in Middleton are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Middleton draws workers from far and wide
The 5,071 jobs in Middleton are filled from a wide area. Middleton’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 32%; the other 61% 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Middleton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Middleton is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #35 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income is its strongest input ($167,402, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Middleton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
In and out of Middleton on a workday
On a workday 3,942 residents head out to work, 368 work right here, and 4,703 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 (1.18 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.
Commuting out of Middleton: the destinations
Where Middleton clocks in
16% of workers
6% of workers
5% 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.
66% of the jobs in Middleton pay over $3,333 a month
5,071 jobs are based in Middleton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Middleton, 2013 → 2023: 4,605 → 5,071. 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 Middleton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 30 minutes to work from Middleton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Middleton workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,241 commuters (the 13% 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.
How many miles Middleton 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.
Getting around Middleton: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Middleton is more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns, #238 of 283 in Massachusetts. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.6% 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 4,847 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). 1.2% of Middleton households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Middleton’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Middleton is 220th of 2,792 U.S. towns of 6,900 to 13,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Lincoln MA | 6,925 | $175K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 24 | Weston MA | 11,729 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Norwell MA | 11,546 | $189K | 2.7% | 1.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 218 | Lake Murray of Richland SC | 7,023 | $119K | 2.0% | 2.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 219 | Greenville Township IN | 8,014 | $121K | 2.7% | 2.2% | 4% | A |
| 220 | Middleton MA | 9,895 | $167K | 3.4% | 3.8% | 9% | A |
| 221 | Cascades VA | 12,357 | $167K | 2.9% | 3.8% | 3% | A |
| 222 | Hamburg NY | 9,840 | $112K | 3.0% | 2.6% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,792 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Middleton, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
11% of Middleton works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Danvers (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Middleton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleton | – | A | C+ | 30 min | $167,402 |
| Danvers | 6% | A | A | 28 min | $125,395 |
| Topsfield | under 3% | A+ | A− | 28 min | $195,718 |
| Peabody | 5% | A− | A− | 26 min | $96,657 |
| Boxford | under 3% | A+ | B− | 31 min | $200,871 |
| North Reading | under 3% | A+ | B+ | 34 min | $147,768 |
| Lynnfield | under 3% | A+ | B+ | 32 min | $175,265 |
| North Andover | under 3% | A | A− | 32 min | $140,670 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Middleton’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 Middleton: questions
What is the median household income in Middleton?
$167,402 (±$28,705) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Middleton?
3.4%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Middleton?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Middleton work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (16%, 19 mi), Danvers (6%, 4 mi), Peabody (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Middleton walkable?
Middleton is more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Middleton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Middleton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Middleton
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.