Lanham’s household incomes are higher than in 80% of U.S. towns
7.3% of residents are in poverty, against 9.4% across Maryland. Lanham grades A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 6.4 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 26.3 in Baltimore.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Lanham
Lanham draws workers from far and wide
The 7,012 jobs in Lanham are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 20%; the other 78% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
A lot of Lanham workers cross into Washington, D.C.
19% of Lanham workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (24%) and Arlington (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
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.
The figures behind Lanham’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lanham is better than 78% of U.S. towns, #133 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Lanham’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.4%, 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, Lanham could be anywhere from B to A+.
24% of working residents work in Washington
Where Lanham clocks in
24% 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.
How a workday changes Lanham
On a workday 4,704 residents head out to work, 147 work right here, and 6,865 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Lanham on a workday afternoon, 19% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.45 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.
What the 7,012 jobs in Lanham are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lanham, 2013 → 2023: 6,308 → 7,012. 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 Lanham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Lanham: about 33 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lanham workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,841 commuters (the 12% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Lanham
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.
Lanham is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lanham is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns, #103 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Lanham near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,510 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% 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 6.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 88% 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). 4.2% of Lanham households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Lanham’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Lanham ranks: 816th of 2,507 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Scaggsville MD | 10,564 | $207K | 2.9% | 1.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Chevy Chase MD | 9,445 | $212K | 4.3% | 1.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Annapolis Neck MD | 12,032 | $174K | 3.3% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 814 | Topanga CA | 8,885 | $157K | 6.0% | 7.1% | 5% | A− |
| 815 | Crete IL | 8,345 | $97K | 3.9% | 6.0% | 5% | A− |
| 816 | Lanham MD | 11,433 | $104K | 7.3% | 5.4% | 3% | A− |
| 817 | Norton OH | 11,493 | $90K | 6.1% | 4.2% | 8% | A− |
| 818 | Sumner WA | 10,871 | $98K | 4.9% | 5.3% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Lanham, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Work in the towns next to Lanham
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lanham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanham | – | A− | A | 33 min | $103,556 |
| Glenn Dale | under 2% | A | B− | 34 min | $134,333 |
| Mitchellville | under 2% | A | A | 33 min | $149,347 |
| Seabrook | under 2% | B | A | 34 min | $98,157 |
| Springdale | under 2% | A | B+ | 37 min | $162,171 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lanham’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 Lanham: questions
What is the median household income in Lanham?
$103,556 (±$12,593) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lanham?
7.3%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lanham?
33 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lanham work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (24%, 10 mi), Baltimore (3%, 26 mi), Bethesda (2%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Lanham walkable?
Lanham is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lanham without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lanham, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lanham
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.