Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory · Photo: BobDrzyzgula · Public domainHousehold incomes in Gaithersburg top those of 85% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 8.8% of residents; Maryland has 9.4%. The two grades for Gaithersburg are A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. About one in ten work in Gaithersburg itself; outside it, Rockville draws the most (11%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Gaithersburg stands out on work
Gaithersburg is the work center of its corner
Every town that borders Gaithersburg (Flower Hill, Montgomery Village, Redland, North Potomac, Darnestown and others) has fewer jobs than working residents, while Gaithersburg has 1.6 per resident. Next door ↓
Gaithersburg draws workers from far and wide
The 45,107 jobs in Gaithersburg are filled from a wide area. Gaithersburg’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 27%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Most jobs in Gaithersburg pay over $40,000 a year
73% of the jobs based in Gaithersburg pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. 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.
Why Gaithersburg gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Gaithersburg is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #126 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Gaithersburg’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.6%, 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, Gaithersburg could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Where Gaithersburg’s workforce comes from
Where Gaithersburg clocks in
11% of workers
10% of workers
6% 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.
73% of the jobs in Gaithersburg pay over $3,333 a month
45,107 jobs are based in Gaithersburg.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gaithersburg, 2013 → 2023: 39,588 → 45,107. 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 Gaithersburg’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Gaithersburg on a workday afternoon
On a workday 25,229 residents head out to work, 3,373 work right here, and 41,734 people come in from elsewhere.
About 88,000 people are in Gaithersburg on a workday afternoon, 23% 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.
A commute of about 29 minutes in Gaithersburg
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gaithersburg workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 28,072 commuters (the 26% 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 Gaithersburg goes to work
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.
Gaithersburg is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 37,937 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 46% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 15.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% 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). 10.4% of Gaithersburg households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Gaithersburg’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 50,000 to 96,000, Gaithersburg ranks 183rd of 619 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Bethesda MD | 69,397 | $192K | 4.3% | 3.1% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Ellicott City MD | 75,257 | $157K | 3.7% | 3.0% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Bowie MD | 58,383 | $142K | 3.8% | 4.7% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 181 | Commerce City CO | 72,345 | $112K | 8.7% | 4.3% | 10% | A− |
| 182 | Doral FL | 81,634 | $94K | 10.3% | 3.3% | 21% | A− |
| 183 | Gaithersburg MD | 71,113 | $112K | 8.8% | 4.6% | 12% | A− |
| 184 | Hendersonville TN | 64,266 | $97K | 6.3% | 4.3% | 13% | A− |
| 185 | Addison Township IL | 87,841 | $91K | 7.2% | 4.5% | 18% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 619 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Gaithersburg, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
The towns around Gaithersburg
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gaithersburg workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaithersburg | – | A− | A+ | 29 min | $112,467 |
| Flower Hill | under 2% | B+ | A | 32 min | $112,975 |
| Montgomery Village | under 2% | B | A+ | 33 min | $95,348 |
| Redland | under 2% | A | A+ | 35 min | $132,153 |
| North Potomac | under 2% | A | A | 32 min | $186,514 |
| Darnestown | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 37 min | $232,135 |
| Washington Grove | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Washington Grove: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gaithersburg’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 Gaithersburg: questions
What is the median household income in Gaithersburg?
$112,467 (±$6,406) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gaithersburg?
8.8%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gaithersburg?
29 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gaithersburg work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rockville (11%, 5 mi), Washington (10%, 19 mi), Bethesda (6%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Gaithersburg walkable?
Gaithersburg is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.0 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Gaithersburg without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 46% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gaithersburg, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gaithersburg
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.