Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainHousehold incomes in Natick are higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 5.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 47.9 in Boston. 5.8% of residents live below the poverty line; Massachusetts has 10.0%. The two grades for Natick are A for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Natick apart
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Natick
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Natick is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #47 of 283 in Massachusetts. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Natick could be anywhere from A to A+.
17% of working residents work in Boston
Where Natick clocks in
17% 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.
The workday shuffle in and out of Natick
On a workday 14,069 residents head out to work, 2,385 work right here, and 18,418 people come in from elsewhere.
About 41,000 people are in Natick on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.26 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.
68% of the jobs in Natick pay over $3,333 a month
20,803 jobs are based in Natick.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Natick, 2013 → 2023: 19,845 → 20,803. 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 Natick’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Natick: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Natick workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,958 commuters (the 25% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Natick
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.
Natick is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Natick is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #51 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Natick 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 19,978 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 54% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 6% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 85% 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). 6.9% of Natick households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Natick’s commuters take a bus or train.
115th of 1,162: where Natick ranks among U.S. towns of 26,000 to 50,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Shrewsbury MA | 39,627 | $139K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Arlington MA | 46,563 | $151K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 113 | Buffalo Grove IL | 42,812 | $129K | 7.2% | 2.7% | 6% | A |
| 114 | Riverton UT | 47,395 | $127K | 3.6% | 3.4% | 7% | A |
| 115 | Natick MA | 36,969 | $139K | 5.8% | 3.2% | 14% | A |
| 116 | Edwardsville IL | 26,463 | $87K | 11.6% | 4.6% | 17% | A |
| 117 | Independence Township MI | 37,725 | $115K | 4.3% | 2.9% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,162 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Natick, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Natick and its neighbors: 10% work next door
The biggest share goes to Framingham (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Natick workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natick | – | A | A | 31 min | $138,538 |
| Sherborn | under 2% | A | B+ | 35 min | $250,000+ |
| Wayland | under 2% | A+ | B | 31 min | $224,000 |
| Cochituate | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Framingham | 6% | B+ | A | 30 min | $107,419 |
| Dover | under 2% | A− | B+ | 35 min | $250,000+ |
| Wellesley | 4% | A | A+ | 27 min | $250,000+ |
| Weston | under 2% | A+ | A− | 27 min | $250,000+ |
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 Natick’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 Natick: questions
What is the median household income in Natick?
$138,538 (±$11,269) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Natick?
5.8%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Natick?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 25% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Natick work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (17%, 17 mi), Framingham (6%, 5 mi), Newton (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Natick walkable?
Natick is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.5 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Natick without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 6% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Natick, from the people who make the trip.
More of Natick
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.