Hancock's Resolution · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainHousehold incomes in Lake Shore are higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 6.4% of residents, next to 9.4% for Maryland as a whole. Jobs and income earn Lake Shore A; getting around on foot earns it C. Only 6% work in Lake Shore; the top destination outside it is Baltimore (13%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Lake Shore apart
The better-paid jobs are outside Lake Shore
74% of Lake Shore residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 49% of the jobs based in Lake Shore pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Lake Shore empties out on a workday
About 13,000 people are in Lake Shore on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than the 18,000 who live here: 8,100 head out to work and 2,700 come in. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Lake Shore
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lake Shore is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #87 of 261 in Maryland. Household income is its strongest input ($130,689, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Lake Shore could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The kinds of work in Lake Shore
3,164 jobs are based in Lake Shore.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Shore, 2014 → 2024: 2,911 → 3,164. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Lake Shore’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Lake Shore by day and by night
On a workday 8,121 residents head out to work, 474 work right here, and 2,690 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in Lake Shore on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.37 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 2024, primary jobs.
Out of Lake Shore to work: where people go
Where Lake Shore clocks in
13% 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.
About 31 minutes each way for Lake Shore’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Shore workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,974 commuters (the 15% 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 distance from Lake Shore to work
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how Lake Shore gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lake Shore is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns, #239 of 261 in Maryland. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 8.0% across Maryland.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 9,417 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 1.0% of Lake Shore households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Lake Shore’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Lake Shore ranks: 401st of 1,915 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | Colesville MD | 14,519 | $131K | 3.4% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Arnold MD | 24,303 | $142K | 3.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 96 | Damascus MD | 17,640 | $159K | 3.7% | 2.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 399 | Oconomowoc WI | 20,119 | $106K | 7.7% | 2.2% | 15% | A |
| 400 | Viera West FL | 17,984 | $109K | 3.2% | 2.9% | 7% | A |
| 401 | Lake Shore MD | 18,249 | $131K | 6.4% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| 402 | Northborough MA | 16,080 | $153K | 3.7% | 5.0% | 9% | A |
| 403 | Grafton MA | 21,043 | $131K | 6.3% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 Lake Shore, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
How Lake Shore compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Pasadena (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Shore workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Shore | – | A | C | 31 min | $130,689 |
| Pasadena | 3% | A+ | B− | 32 min | $129,727 |
| Severna Park | 3% | A+ | A− | 28 min | $169,953 |
| Arnold | under 2% | A+ | B | 28 min | $141,639 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lake Shore’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 2024, 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 Lake Shore: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Shore?
$130,689 (±$11,332) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Shore?
6.4%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Shore?
31 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake Shore work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Baltimore (13%, 16 mi), Glen Burnie (6%, 8 mi), Parole (6%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Lake Shore walkable?
Lake Shore is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.2 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lake Shore without a car?
0% 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 Lake Shore, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Shore
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.