Household incomes in Glenarden are higher than in 81% of U.S. towns
Glenarden grades A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Poverty touches 5.3% of residents; Maryland has 9.4%. Only 1% work in Glenarden itself; outside it, Washington draws the most (30%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Glenarden
Glenarden trades workers with the towns around it
Glenarden has about as many jobs (2,281) as working residents (2,578), but they are mostly different people: 2,552 residents leave for work each day while 2,255 people come in. Only 1% of the jobs in Glenarden are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Glenarden workers cross into Washington, D.C.
25% of Glenarden workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (30%) and Arlington (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Glenarden’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 34 minutes, longer than the Maryland average of 31. Time on the road ↓
Glenarden has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Glenarden went from 1,418 in 2013 to 2,281 in 2023, +61%. The jobs ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
45% of the jobs in Glenarden are in trade, transport and utilities, against 14% of the jobs its residents hold. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Glenarden
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Glenarden is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #70 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, 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, Glenarden could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
How many people are in Glenarden by day
On a workday 2,552 residents head out to work, 26 work right here, and 2,255 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.88 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Glenarden: the destinations
Where Glenarden clocks in
30% of workers
3% of workers
2% 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.
Time on the road from Glenarden: about 34 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Glenarden workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,372 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.
The kinds of work in Glenarden
2,281 jobs are based in Glenarden.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Glenarden, 2013 → 2023: 1,418 → 2,281. 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 Glenarden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Glenarden
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.
Glenarden is more walkable than 95% 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 2,945 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 71% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 57% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 15.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 97% 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). 10.5% of Glenarden households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Glenarden’s commuters take a bus or train.
Glenarden places 355th of 3,306 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 4,500 to 8,700
| # | 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 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Fulton MD | 5,677 | $222K | 0.7% | 1.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Riva MD | 4,976 | $176K | 1.1% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Hampton MD | 5,372 | $171K | 3.8% | 0.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 353 | St. James MD | 4,824 | $97K | 4.1% | 1.4% | 2% | A |
| 354 | Covedale OH | 6,500 | $91K | 5.5% | 1.1% | 1% | A |
| 355 | Glenarden MD | 6,422 | $106K | 5.3% | 3.6% | 1% | A |
| 356 | Middletown MD | 5,056 | $173K | 1.1% | 4.0% | 5% | A |
| 357 | Black Diamond WA | 6,978 | $141K | 2.1% | 1.3% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,306 | 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 Glenarden, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
How Glenarden compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Landover (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Glenarden workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenarden | – | A | A+ | 34 min | $106,414 |
| Landover | 2% | C+ | A+ | 35 min | $72,100 |
| Springdale | under 2% | A | B+ | 37 min | $162,171 |
| Summerfield | under 2% | B | A+ | 34 min | $91,007 |
| Lake Arbor | 2% | A | A | 38 min | $121,211 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Glenarden’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 Glenarden: questions
What is the median household income in Glenarden?
$106,414 (±$12,883) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Glenarden?
5.3%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Glenarden?
34 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Glenarden work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (30%, 9 mi), Baltimore (3%, 29 mi), Lake Arbor (2%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Glenarden walkable?
Glenarden is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.7 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Glenarden without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 57% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Glenarden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Glenarden
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.