Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Household incomes in Rutland are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Only 6% stay in Rutland for work; outside it, Worcester is the main destination (24%, 12 miles). Below the poverty line: 2.1% of residents, next to 10.0% across Massachusetts. Jobs and income earn Rutland A−; getting around on foot earns it C−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Rutland
Rutland and Worcester trade workers both ways
Worcester is the top workplace for Rutland residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in Rutland come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Rutland workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 29 across Massachusetts. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Rutland is a place people come home to
There are 1,282 jobs based in Rutland, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Rutland has about 5,900 people in it, 39% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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.
Where Rutland’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rutland is better than 76% of U.S. towns, #167 of 283 in Massachusetts. The poverty rate holds Rutland’s grade up; unemployment pulls it down (5.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rutland could be anywhere from B to A.
The towns that employ Rutland’s residents
Where Rutland clocks in
24% of workers
6% of workers
6% 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.
How long Rutland spends getting to work: about 37 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rutland workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,678 commuters (the 16% 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 people are in Rutland by day
On a workday 4,831 residents head out to work, 300 work right here, and 982 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,900 people are in Rutland on a workday afternoon, 39% fewer than live here.
0.25 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.
The kinds of work in Rutland
1,282 jobs are based in Rutland.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rutland, 2013 → 2023: 982 → 1,282. 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 Rutland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Rutland
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.
Driving is how Rutland gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rutland is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns, #270 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Rutland 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 4,384 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). 1.7% of Rutland households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Rutland’s commuters take a bus or train.
910th of 2,800: where Rutland ranks among U.S. towns of 6,800 to 13,200
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Lincoln MA | 6,925 | $175K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 26 | Weston MA | 11,729 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Norwell MA | 11,546 | $189K | 2.7% | 1.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 908 | Gold Canyon AZ | 13,107 | $93K | 3.8% | 3.8% | 5% | A− |
| 909 | North Bay Village FL | 8,099 | $84K | 9.3% | 3.3% | 4% | A− |
| 910 | Rutland MA | 9,776 | $146K | 2.1% | 5.4% | 6% | A− |
| 911 | Long Lake Township MI | 10,101 | $96K | 3.6% | 3.0% | 3% | A− |
| 912 | Pendleton NY | 7,120 | $114K | 9.4% | 3.8% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,800 | 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 Rutland, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Rutland and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rutland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutland | – | A− | C− | 37 min | $145,707 |
| Paxton | under 2% | A | B | 31 min | $134,083 |
| Holden | 6% | A− | C− | 27 min | $141,923 |
| Oakham | under 2% | B+ | D | 39 min | $102,000 |
| Princeton | under 2% | A+ | B− | 37 min | $158,750 |
| Barre | under 2% | B+ | B | 36 min | $107,727 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Holden. Darker towns draw more of Rutland’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 Rutland: questions
What is the median household income in Rutland?
$145,707 (±$27,995) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rutland?
2.1%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rutland?
37 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rutland work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Worcester (24%, 12 mi), Holden (6%, 6 mi), Boston (6%, 49 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rutland walkable?
Rutland is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rutland without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rutland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rutland
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.