Photo: Daderot · Public domainUnemployment in Williamstown (2.1%) is lower than in 83% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are higher than in 81% of U.S. towns. Williamstown grades B for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.0 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 47.9 in Boston.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Williamstown apart
Commutes from Williamstown are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 29 across Massachusetts. That’s about 100 hours a year less on the road than the typical Massachusetts worker. Time on the road ↓
Nearly all the work in Williamstown is services
89% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 5% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
A lot of Williamstown works from home
27% of Williamstown 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.
Where Williamstown’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Williamstown is better than 62% of U.S. towns, #217 of 283 in Massachusetts. Unemployment holds Williamstown’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 22% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Williamstown could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
About 16 minutes each way, quicker than most of Massachusetts
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Williamstown workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,050 commuters (the 27% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Williamstown
3,358 jobs are based in Williamstown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Williamstown, 2013 → 2023: 3,657 → 3,358. 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 Williamstown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Williamstown
On a workday 1,371 residents head out to work, 904 work right here, and 2,454 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in Williamstown on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.48 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.
9% of working residents work in Pittsfield
Where Williamstown clocks in
9% of workers
9% 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.
How many miles Williamstown commutes
About 26% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Williamstown 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, Williamstown is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #52 of 283 in Massachusetts. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 37.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 14.1% across Massachusetts, on an EPA index of 9.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,194 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 46% 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 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 58% 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). 9.0% of Williamstown households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Williamstown’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 6,400 to 12,400, Williamstown ranks 1,394th of 2,886 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Pimmit Hills VA | 6,589 | $173K | 1.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Braddock VA | 6,536 | $212K | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Lincoln MA | 6,925 | $175K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 32 | Weston MA | 11,729 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Norwell MA | 11,546 | $189K | 2.7% | 1.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,392 | Stafford CT | 11,721 | $93K | 7.4% | 5.8% | 16% | B |
| 1,393 | Jersey Township IL | 10,005 | $74K | 11.1% | 1.2% | 26% | B |
| 1,394 | Williamstown MA | 9,186 | $107K | 11.2% | 2.1% | 40% | B |
| 1,395 | Providence Township PA | 7,482 | $64K | 5.5% | 3.5% | 6% | B |
| 1,396 | Marysville MI | 9,868 | $67K | 6.4% | 3.4% | 12% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,886 | 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 Williamstown, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Williamstown and its neighbors: 11% work next door
The biggest share goes to North Adams (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Williamstown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | – | B | A | 16 min | $106,650 |
| North Adams | 9% | D | A | 17 min | $47,500 |
| Clarksburg | under 2% | B− | D | 24 min | $77,143 |
| Adams | 2% | C− | B− | 24 min | $58,929 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Williamstown’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 Williamstown: questions
What is the median household income in Williamstown?
$106,650 (±$25,244) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Williamstown?
11.2%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Williamstown?
16 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Williamstown work?
40% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsfield (9%, 17 mi), North Adams (9%, 6 mi), Boston (4%, 115 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Williamstown walkable?
Williamstown is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.1 out of 20, and 38% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Williamstown without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Williamstown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Williamstown
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.