Photo: Payton Chung from DCA, USA · CC BY 2.0More people are out of work in Greenbelt (6.7%) than in 80% of U.S. towns
Commuters spend 34 minutes getting to work on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. Greenbelt grades B− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Only 4% work in Greenbelt; the top destination outside it is Washington (23%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Greenbelt stands out on work
Greenbelt draws workers from far and wide
The 12,350 jobs in Greenbelt are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 19%; the other 77% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
A lot of Greenbelt workers cross into Washington, D.C.
23% of Greenbelt workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (23%) and Arlington (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Greenbelt is services
85% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 4% are in factories, building or farms. 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Greenbelt
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Greenbelt is better than 49% of U.S. towns, #226 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Greenbelt’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (19.1%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Greenbelt could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
Where Greenbelt goes to work
Where Greenbelt clocks in
23% of workers
4% 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
12,350 jobs are based in Greenbelt.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Greenbelt, 2013 → 2023: 12,889 → 12,350. 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 Greenbelt’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Greenbelt
On a workday 9,592 residents head out to work, 446 work right here, and 11,904 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 (1.23 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.
How long Greenbelt spends getting to work: about 34 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Greenbelt workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,357 commuters (the 17% 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 miles Greenbelt 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.
Greenbelt 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 12,427 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 82% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 20.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 14.1% of Greenbelt households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 14% of Greenbelt’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 17,000 to 34,000, Greenbelt ranks 1,151st of 1,688 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | North Laurel MD | 25,563 | $123K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Arnold MD | 24,303 | $142K | 3.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Damascus MD | 17,640 | $159K | 3.7% | 2.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,149 | Ozark MO | 23,544 | $74K | 12.6% | 4.3% | 11% | B− |
| 1,150 | Marion Oaks FL | 23,972 | $72K | 10.2% | 3.7% | 3% | B− |
| 1,151 | Greenbelt MD | 24,948 | $86K | 19.1% | 6.7% | 4% | B− |
| 1,152 | South Venice FL | 17,484 | $77K | 12.5% | 3.9% | 5% | B− |
| 1,153 | Rancho Mirage CA | 17,876 | $107K | 11.7% | 9.4% | 14% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,688 | 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 Greenbelt, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Greenbelt and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Greenbelt workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenbelt | – | B− | A+ | 34 min | $85,997 |
| Berwyn Heights | under 2% | A | A+ | 32 min | $146,591 |
| College Park | 4% | B+ | A+ | 26 min | $69,721 |
| Seabrook | under 2% | B | A | 34 min | $98,157 |
| Riverdale Park | under 2% | A− | A+ | 30 min | $120,043 |
| East Riverdale | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 33 min | $81,831 |
| New Carrollton | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 37 min | $81,509 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to College Park. Darker towns draw more of Greenbelt’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 Greenbelt: questions
What is the median household income in Greenbelt?
$85,997 (±$9,641) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Greenbelt?
19.1%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Greenbelt?
34 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Greenbelt work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (23%, 9 mi), College Park (4%, 3 mi), Baltimore (3%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Greenbelt walkable?
Greenbelt is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.7 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Greenbelt without a car?
14% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. 82% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Greenbelt, from the people who make the trip.
More of Greenbelt
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.