West Sutton Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Households in Sutton earn more than those in 95% of U.S. towns
The average commute, 30 minutes each way, matches the Massachusetts norm. 5.8% of residents live below the poverty line; Massachusetts has 10.0%. About one in ten work in Sutton itself; outside it, Worcester draws the most (19%, 10 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Sutton apart on work
Sutton has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Sutton went from 2,082 in 2013 to 3,590 in 2023, +72%. The jobs ↓
Sutton and Worcester trade workers both ways
Worcester is the top workplace for Sutton residents (19%) and also where the most people who work in Sutton come from (18% of its jobs). 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Sutton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Sutton is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #49 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income is its strongest input ($147,125, 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, Sutton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Factories, building and farms: 33% of the jobs in Sutton
3,590 jobs are based in Sutton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sutton, 2013 → 2023: 2,082 → 3,590. 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 Sutton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting out of Sutton: the destinations
Where Sutton clocks in
19% of workers
6% of workers
4% 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.
Sutton on a workday afternoon
On a workday 4,188 residents head out to work, 412 work right here, and 3,178 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,700 people are in Sutton on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 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.
Getting to work from Sutton takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sutton workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,344 commuters (the 23% 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 far Sutton’s workers travel
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.
For most of Sutton, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Sutton is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns, #248 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Sutton 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 5,622 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 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 52% 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). 1.3% of Sutton households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Sutton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Sutton is 270th among 2,751 U.S. towns of 6,800 to 13,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 268 | Westtown Township PA | 11,290 | $139K | 2.7% | 4.0% | 5% | A |
| 269 | Belterra TX | 6,978 | $220K | 1.5% | 4.1% | 1% | A |
| 270 | Sutton MA | 9,662 | $147K | 5.8% | 2.5% | 9% | A |
| 271 | Richland Township MI | 9,116 | $106K | 2.6% | 1.5% | 7% | A |
| 272 | Stratham NH | 7,735 | $152K | 2.4% | 2.5% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,751 | 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 Sutton, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Around Sutton: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Millbury (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sutton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | – | A | C | 30 min | $147,125 |
| Northbridge | 3% | B+ | B− | 31 min | $111,319 |
| Millbury | 4% | A | B− | 29 min | $118,790 |
| Douglas | under 3% | A | C | 34 min | $152,267 |
| Oxford | under 3% | B+ | B− | 28 min | $103,862 |
| Grafton | 2% | A | B | 33 min | $131,484 |
| Uxbridge | under 3% | A | C+ | 37 min | $124,725 |
| Whitinsville | under 3% | — | — | 37 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Whitinsville: 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 Sutton’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 Sutton: questions
What is the median household income in Sutton?
$147,125 (±$24,500) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sutton?
5.8%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sutton?
30 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sutton work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Worcester (19%, 10 mi), Boston (6%, 40 mi), Millbury (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Sutton walkable?
Sutton is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Sutton without a car?
<1% 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 Sutton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sutton
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.