Household incomes in Hillandale top those of 97% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 3.5%; Maryland has 9.4%. Jobs and income earn Hillandale A+; getting around on foot earns it A+. Only 1% stay in Hillandale for work; outside it, Washington is the main destination (20%, 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 Hillandale
A lot of Hillandale workers cross into Washington, D.C.
21% of Hillandale workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (20%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Hillandale’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 33 minutes, longer than the Maryland average of 31. Time on the road ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Hillandale than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Hillandale fell from 2,245 in 2013 to 1,463 in 2023, −35%. 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.
How Hillandale earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Hillandale is among the top U.S. towns, #9 of 261 in Maryland. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Hillandale’s grade. 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, Hillandale could be anywhere from A to A+.
The places Hillandale commutes to
Where Hillandale clocks in
20% of workers
4% 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.
About 33 minutes each way for Hillandale’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hillandale workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,024 commuters (the 23% 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 services: health care, schools and offices
1,463 jobs are based in Hillandale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hillandale, 2013 → 2023: 2,245 → 1,463. 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 Hillandale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Hillandale by day and by night
On a workday 2,453 residents head out to work, 27 work right here, and 1,436 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,000 people are in Hillandale on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.59 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.
Half of Hillandale commutes less than 9 miles
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.
Hillandale is more walkable than 96% 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 2,629 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 35% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 29.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 6.0% of Hillandale households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 9% of Hillandale’s commuters take a bus or train.
Hillandale is 54th of 3,758 U.S. towns of 3,500 to 6,800 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Fulton MD | 5,677 | $222K | 0.7% | 1.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Riva MD | 4,976 | $176K | 1.1% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | Hampton MD | 5,372 | $171K | 3.8% | 0.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 53 | Bay Hill FL | 4,512 | $128K | 0.7% | 1.5% | 3% | A+ |
| 54 | Hillandale MD | 5,060 | $165K | 3.5% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 55 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| 56 | Grant MN | 3,954 | $151K | 3.7% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,758 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Hillandale, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Hillandale and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Silver Spring (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hillandale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillandale | – | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $164,871 |
| Beltsville | under 2% | B | A | 32 min | $99,642 |
| White Oak | under 2% | B− | A+ | 34 min | $83,370 |
| Four Corners | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $203,125 |
| Burnt Mills | under 2% | B+ | A | 32 min | $113,463 |
| Silver Spring | 3% | B+ | A+ | 34 min | $99,860 |
| Adelphi | under 2% | B− | A+ | 37 min | $82,137 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hillandale’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 Hillandale: questions
What is the median household income in Hillandale?
$164,871 (±$12,526) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hillandale?
3.5%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hillandale?
33 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hillandale work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (20%, 9 mi), Bethesda (4%, 8 mi), Rockville (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Hillandale walkable?
Hillandale is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.3 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hillandale without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 35% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hillandale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hillandale
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.