Household incomes in Friendly top those of 91% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 26.3 in Baltimore. Below the poverty line: 3.0% of residents; Maryland has 9.4%. Friendly grades 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
Where Friendly stands out on work
A lot of Friendly workers cross into Washington, D.C.
38% of Friendly workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (25%), Arlington (5%) and Alexandria (3%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Friendly is a place people come home to
There are 467 jobs based in Friendly, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Friendly has about 7,400 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Friendly works from home
29% of Friendly workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
Friendly 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. Time on the road ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Friendly than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Friendly fell from 659 in 2013 to 467 in 2023, −29%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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: Friendly’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Friendly is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #109 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Friendly’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (7.7%, 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, Friendly could be anywhere from B+ to A.
25% of working residents work in Washington
Where Friendly clocks in
25% of workers
3% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Friendly
On a workday 4,150 residents head out to work, 44 work right here, and 423 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,400 people are in Friendly on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.
0.11 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.
About 37 minutes each way for Friendly’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Friendly workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,756 commuters (the 29% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Friendly
467 jobs are based in Friendly.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Friendly, 2013 → 2023: 659 → 467. 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 Friendly’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Friendly, by distance
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Friendly
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Friendly is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns, #104 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Friendly 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 5,283 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% 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 3.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 77% 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). 1.3% of Friendly households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Friendly’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Friendly ranks: 644th of 2,507 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Scaggsville MD | 10,564 | $207K | 2.9% | 1.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Chevy Chase MD | 9,445 | $212K | 4.3% | 1.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Annapolis Neck MD | 12,032 | $174K | 3.3% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 642 | Ontario NY | 10,701 | $83K | 5.7% | 1.6% | 14% | A− |
| 643 | Highlands NY | 12,678 | $116K | 4.5% | 4.2% | 15% | A− |
| 644 | Friendly MD | 11,119 | $128K | 3.0% | 7.7% | 1% | A− |
| 645 | Wood Dale IL | 14,081 | $91K | 6.7% | 4.0% | 6% | A− |
| 646 | Mukwonago WI | 8,544 | $98K | 4.2% | 4.5% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Friendly, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Around Friendly: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Clinton (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Friendly workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | – | A− | A | 37 min | $127,670 |
| Clinton | 1% | A− | B | 38 min | $124,803 |
| Oxon Hill | under 2% | A− | A | 39 min | $93,252 |
| Camp Springs | under 2% | A− | A | 38 min | $120,456 |
| Fort Washington | under 2% | A− | A | 38 min | $143,333 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Friendly’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 Friendly: questions
What is the median household income in Friendly?
$127,670 (±$30,402) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Friendly?
3.0%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Friendly?
37 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 29% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Friendly work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (25%, 10 mi), Arlington (5%, 11 mi), Alexandria (3%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Friendly walkable?
Friendly is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.4 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Friendly without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Friendly, from the people who make the trip.
More of Friendly
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.