Photo: Flickr user: high limitzz https://www.flickr.com/people/highlimitstudio/ · CC BY 2.0Annapolis has higher household incomes than 86% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 9.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 26.3 in Baltimore. 7.8% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.4% across Maryland. The two grades for Annapolis are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Annapolis at work: what stands out
Annapolis is where the jobs are
Annapolis has 24,350 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Annapolis draws workers from far and wide
The 24,350 jobs in Annapolis are filled from a wide area. Annapolis’ own residents hold 12% and the ten next-biggest home towns 26%; the other 62% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Annapolis is services
85% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 4% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
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.
Jobs & income in Annapolis: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Annapolis is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #105 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Annapolis could be anywhere from B+ to A.
The daily flow of workers through Annapolis
On a workday 12,663 residents head out to work, 2,931 work right here, and 21,419 people come in from elsewhere.
About 49,000 people are in Annapolis on a workday afternoon, 22% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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 daily trip into Annapolis
Where Annapolis clocks in
6% 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.
Most jobs in Annapolis are in services
24,350 jobs are based in Annapolis.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Annapolis, 2013 → 2023: 23,425 → 24,350. 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 Annapolis’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Annapolis: 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 Annapolis workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 17,270 commuters (the 21% who work from home are left out). Across Maryland: 80% drive alone, 5% 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 it is to work from Annapolis
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.
In Annapolis, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Annapolis is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #33 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Annapolis 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 21,853 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 88% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 56% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 9.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 93% 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). 9.4% of Annapolis households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Annapolis’ commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Annapolis is 302nd among 1,101 U.S. towns of 28,000 to 55,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Severna Park MD | 40,228 | $170K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Pasadena MD | 34,309 | $130K | 5.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Potomac MD | 45,902 | $237K | 3.9% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 300 | Granger IN | 30,321 | $123K | 4.7% | 4.4% | 4% | A− |
| 301 | Peachtree Corners GA | 42,519 | $82K | 7.9% | 2.5% | 8% | A− |
| 302 | Annapolis MD | 40,634 | $114K | 7.8% | 3.7% | 19% | A− |
| 303 | Savage MN | 32,970 | $126K | 5.8% | 5.3% | 6% | A− |
| 304 | West Fargo ND | 41,175 | $91K | 8.8% | 1.1% | 18% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,101 | 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 Annapolis, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Bordering towns draw 14% of Annapolis’ workers
The biggest share goes to Parole (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Annapolis workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annapolis | – | A− | A+ | 30 min | $113,860 |
| Annapolis Neck | 2% | A+ | A− | 30 min | $173,879 |
| Parole | 12% | A | A | 30 min | $120,361 |
| Naval Academy | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 7 min | $122,432 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Annapolis’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 Annapolis: questions
What is the median household income in Annapolis?
$113,860 (±$6,168) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Annapolis?
7.8%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Annapolis?
30 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Annapolis work?
19% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Parole (12%, 3 mi), Washington (6%, 28 mi), Baltimore (5%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Annapolis walkable?
Annapolis is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.2 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Annapolis without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 56% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Annapolis, from the people who make the trip.
More of Annapolis
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.