Photo: ToddC4176 · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in North Andover top those of 94% of U.S. towns
North Andover grades A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Poverty touches 9.4% of residents; Massachusetts has 10.0%. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 47.9 in Boston.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
North Andover and work: the main findings
North Andover trades workers with the towns around it
North Andover has about as many jobs (12,982) as working residents (13,630), but they are mostly different people: 12,066 residents leave for work each day while 11,418 people come in. Only 12% of the jobs in North Andover are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
North Andover’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside North Andover is Boston, 24 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (1,503) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in North Andover
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Andover is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #114 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income is its strongest input ($140,670, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. 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, North Andover could be anywhere from A− to A.
North Andover on a workday afternoon
On a workday 12,066 residents head out to work, 1,564 work right here, and 11,418 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 (0.95 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.
Half of North Andover commutes less than 13 miles
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.
11% of working residents work in Boston
Where North Andover clocks in
11% of workers
8% 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.
68% of the jobs in North Andover pay over $3,333 a month
12,982 jobs are based in North Andover.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Andover, 2013 → 2023: 13,382 → 12,982. 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 North Andover’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 32 minutes each way, longer than most of Massachusetts
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Andover workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,885 commuters (the 20% 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.
North Andover is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Andover is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #98 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place North Andover 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 16,168 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 52% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 5% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 68% 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). 4.8% of North Andover households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of North Andover’s commuters take a bus or train.
313th of 1,257: where North Andover ranks among U.S. towns of 23,000 to 43,000
| # | 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 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 37 | Reading MA | 25,803 | $166K | 3.2% | 3.3% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 311 | Gurnee IL | 30,458 | $120K | 5.2% | 4.8% | 10% | A |
| 312 | Homewood AL | 28,118 | $94K | 8.9% | 2.3% | 15% | A |
| 313 | North Andover MA | 32,161 | $141K | 9.4% | 3.3% | 11% | A |
| 314 | Dana Point CA | 32,232 | $142K | 7.2% | 4.0% | 7% | A |
| 315 | Crown Point IN | 35,616 | $102K | 6.8% | 2.8% | 19% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,257 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 North Andover, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
15% of North Andover works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Andover (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Andover workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Andover | – | A | A− | 32 min | $140,670 |
| Lawrence | 5% | C | A+ | 23 min | $60,433 |
| Boxford | under 3% | A+ | B− | 31 min | $200,871 |
| Methuen | under 3% | B+ | A− | 28 min | $113,310 |
| Andover | 8% | A | A | 29 min | $172,606 |
| Middleton | under 3% | A | C+ | 30 min | $167,402 |
| North Reading | under 3% | A+ | B+ | 34 min | $147,768 |
| Haverhill | 2% | B | A | 27 min | $88,326 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Andover’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 North Andover: questions
What is the median household income in North Andover?
$140,670 (±$8,507) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Andover?
9.4%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Andover?
32 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Andover work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (11%, 24 mi), Andover (8%, 4 mi), Lawrence (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Andover walkable?
North Andover is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 10.4 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Andover without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 5% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Andover, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Andover
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.