Photo: TwoScarsUp · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns have household incomes as high as Darnestown’s
The poverty rate is 1.2%; Maryland has 9.4%. Measured by household income, Darnestown is among the highest-earning towns in the country. For jobs and income Darnestown is better than 97% of U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (B+).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Darnestown
A lot of Darnestown works from home
34% of Darnestown workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Darnestown workers cross into Washington, D.C.
20% of Darnestown workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (12%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Darnestown
79% of Darnestown residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 57% of the jobs based in Darnestown pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Darnestown workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 31 across Maryland. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (29 to 34 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Darnestown’s workforce skews older
37% of Darnestown’s working residents are 55 or older. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Darnestown’s grade explained
Household income is its strongest input ($232,135, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Darnestown could be anywhere from A to A+.
Darnestown’s commute takes 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 Darnestown workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,458 commuters (the 34% 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.
12% of working residents work in Washington
Where Darnestown clocks in
12% of workers
10% of workers
9% 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.
What work there is in Darnestown: 1,059 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Darnestown, 2013 → 2023: 949 → 1,059. 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 Darnestown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Darnestown: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 3,051 residents head out to work, 85 work right here, and 974 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,000 people are in Darnestown on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.34 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.
Half of Darnestown commutes less than 13 miles
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.
Getting around Darnestown: mostly by car
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,725 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 22% 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 2.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 73% 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). 2.1% of Darnestown households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Darnestown’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Darnestown is 150th among 3,227 U.S. towns of 4,900 to 9,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Fulton MD | 5,677 | $222K | 0.7% | 1.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Riva MD | 4,976 | $176K | 1.1% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Hampton MD | 5,372 | $171K | 3.8% | 0.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 148 | Lowell Township MI | 6,500 | $105K | 3.3% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| 149 | Stonegate CO | 8,906 | $159K | 3.2% | 3.2% | 2% | A+ |
| 150 | Darnestown MD | 7,051 | $232K | 1.2% | 4.0% | 3% | A+ |
| 151 | Landen OH | 7,499 | $109K | 4.5% | 1.3% | 1% | A+ |
| 152 | Senoia GA | 6,276 | $125K | 1.1% | 1.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,227 | 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 Darnestown, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Darnestown and its neighbors: 13% work next door
The biggest share goes to Gaithersburg (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Darnestown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darnestown | – | A+ | B+ | 37 min | $232,135 |
| Travilah | under 3% | A+ | B | 29 min | $250,000+ |
| Germantown | 3% | B+ | A+ | 31 min | $117,546 |
| North Potomac | under 3% | A | A | 32 min | $186,514 |
| Gaithersburg | 10% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $112,467 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Darnestown’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 Darnestown: questions
What is the median household income in Darnestown?
$232,135 (±$46,211) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Darnestown?
1.2%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Darnestown?
37 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 34% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Darnestown work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (12%, 20 mi), Gaithersburg (10%, 7 mi), Rockville (9%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Darnestown walkable?
Darnestown is more walkable than 67% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Darnestown without a car?
3% 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 Darnestown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Darnestown
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.