Fort Washington · Photo: Dfowlerdc · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Fort Washington earn more than those in 94% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 5.3%, where Maryland as a whole has 9.4%. Fort Washington grades A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 26.3 in Baltimore.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Fort Washington, in a few figures
Many Fort Washington workers cross into Washington, D.C.
51% of Fort Washington workers work outside Maryland, most of them in Washington, D.C., the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Fort Washington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 38 minutes each way, against 31 across Maryland. Over a year that’s about 291 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Fort Washington is a place people come home to
There are 2,642 jobs based in Fort Washington, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Fort Washington has about 17,000 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 Fort Washington’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Fort Washington is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #104 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Fort Washington’s grade up; unemployment pulls it down (5.9%, 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, Fort Washington could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
26% of working residents work in Washington
Where Fort Washington clocks in
26% 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 long Fort Washington spends getting to work: about 38 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Fort Washington workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,262 commuters (the 19% 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 many people are in Fort Washington by day
On a workday 10,226 residents head out to work, 198 work right here, and 2,444 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Fort Washington on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
0.25 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.
The 2,642 jobs based in Fort Washington
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Fort Washington, 2013 → 2023: 3,018 → 2,642. 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 Fort Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Fort Washington commutes
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 Fort Washington, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Fort Washington is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns, #105 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Fort Washington 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 12,684 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 16% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 86% 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). 4.3% of Fort Washington households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Fort Washington’s commuters take a bus or train.
420th of 1,516: where Fort Washington ranks among U.S. towns of 18,000 to 34,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | North Laurel MD | 25,563 | $123K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Arnold MD | 24,303 | $142K | 3.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 85 | Crofton MD | 29,549 | $151K | 2.9% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 418 | Windsor CA | 25,864 | $134K | 5.9% | 3.6% | 11% | A− |
| 419 | Portsmouth NH | 23,028 | $106K | 6.8% | 2.5% | 35% | A− |
| 420 | Fort Washington MD | 25,134 | $143K | 5.3% | 5.9% | 2% | A− |
| 421 | Clarence NY | 33,198 | $125K | 6.5% | 4.0% | 13% | A− |
| 422 | Ross Township PA | 32,218 | $93K | 6.7% | 3.2% | 7% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,516 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Fort Washington, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Work in the towns next to Fort Washington
The biggest share goes to National Harbor (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Fort Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Washington | – | A− | A | 38 min | $143,333 |
| Accokeek | under 2% | A− | B | 42 min | $150,815 |
| Clinton | under 2% | A− | B | 38 min | $124,803 |
| National Harbor | 3% | B | A+ | 35 min | $109,707 |
| Friendly | under 2% | A− | A | 37 min | $127,670 |
| Oxon Hill | under 2% | A− | A | 39 min | $93,252 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Fort Washington’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 Fort Washington: questions
What is the median household income in Fort Washington?
$143,333 (±$10,440) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Fort Washington?
5.3%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Fort Washington?
38 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Fort Washington work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (26%, 12 mi), Arlington (5%, 11 mi), Alexandria (4%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Fort Washington walkable?
Fort Washington is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.6 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Fort Washington without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 16% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Fort Washington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Fort Washington
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.