Photo: IFCAR · Public domainHouseholds in Watertown have higher incomes than those in 90% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 7.5% of residents, next to 10.0% for Massachusetts as a whole. The two grades for Watertown are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. 29% of workers work from home, next to 19% for Massachusetts as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Watertown and work: the main findings
Much of Watertown works one town over
56% of working residents work in a town that borders Watertown: Boston (29%), Cambridge (14%) and Waltham (6%). Next door ↓
Watertown trades workers with the towns around it
Watertown has about as many jobs (16,469) as working residents (18,208), but they are mostly different people: 16,676 residents leave for work each day while 14,937 people come in. Only 9% of the jobs in Watertown are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Most Watertown residents work close to home
80% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. Only 3% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
78% of Watertown’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 75% of the jobs based in Watertown. The jobs ↓
Home offices are common in Watertown
29% of Watertown workers work from home, against 19% across Massachusetts. Time on the road ↓
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’s behind Watertown’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Watertown is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #145 of 283 in Massachusetts. Job access by car holds Watertown’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Watertown could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Watertown by day and by night
On a workday 16,676 residents head out to work, 1,532 work right here, and 14,937 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 (0.90 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.
Watertown’s commute, mile by mile
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.
75% of the jobs in Watertown pay over $3,333 a month
16,469 jobs are based in Watertown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Watertown, 2013 → 2023: 17,217 → 16,469. 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 Watertown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Watertown: about 28 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Watertown workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,786 commuters (the 29% 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.
Commuting out of Watertown: the destinations
Where Watertown clocks in
29% of workers
14% 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.
Watertown is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Watertown is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #12 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Watertown 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 20,846 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 53% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 21.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 8.9% of Watertown households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 9% of Watertown’s commuters take a bus or train.
404th of 1,219: where Watertown ranks among U.S. towns of 25,000 to 48,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Lexington MA | 34,648 | $238K | 4.7% | 2.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 32 | Reading MA | 25,803 | $166K | 3.2% | 3.3% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Shrewsbury MA | 39,627 | $139K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 402 | Hudson NH | 26,001 | $124K | 4.6% | 5.0% | 13% | A− |
| 403 | Burlingame CA | 31,929 | $174K | 7.1% | 5.7% | 10% | A− |
| 404 | Watertown MA | 35,710 | $126K | 7.5% | 5.3% | 8% | A− |
| 405 | Gaines Township MI | 30,659 | $83K | 7.9% | 2.4% | 6% | A− |
| 406 | O'Fallon Township IL | 26,976 | $100K | 7.4% | 3.5% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,219 | 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 Watertown, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
56% of Watertown works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Watertown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown | – | A− | A+ | 28 min | $126,265 |
| Newton | 5% | A+ | A+ | 27 min | $190,304 |
| Boston | 29% | B | A+ | 30 min | $97,344 |
| Belmont | 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $183,137 |
| Cambridge | 14% | A− | A+ | 26 min | $130,748 |
| Waltham | 6% | A− | A+ | 25 min | $120,216 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Boston. Darker towns draw more of Watertown’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 Watertown: questions
What is the median household income in Watertown?
$126,265 (±$6,062) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Watertown?
7.5%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Watertown?
28 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 29% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Watertown work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (29%, 9 mi), Cambridge (14%, 3 mi), Waltham (6%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Watertown walkable?
Watertown is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.5 out of 20, and 19% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Watertown without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 53% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Watertown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Watertown
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.