Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainAt 9.3%, unemployment in Leisure World is higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Leisure World are C+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. Only 1% work in Leisure World; the top destination outside it is Washington (14%, 14 miles). Measured by household income, Leisure World is behind 71% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Leisure World at work: what stands out
A lot of Leisure World workers cross into Washington, D.C.
24% of Leisure World workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (14%) and Arlington (3%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Leisure World’s workforce skews older
47% of Leisure World’s working residents are 55 or older. That’s about two in five. The jobs ↓
Leisure World workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 40 minutes each way, against 31 across Maryland. Over a year that’s about 307 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Where Leisure World’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Leisure World is better than 44% of U.S. towns, #233 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Leisure World’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Leisure World could be anywhere from C to B.
Where people from Leisure World work
Where Leisure World clocks in
14% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Leisure World
933 jobs are based in Leisure World.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Leisure World, 2014 → 2024: 921 → 933. 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 Leisure World’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Leisure World: about 40 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Leisure World workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,434 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.
Who leaves Leisure World for work, and who comes in
On a workday 2,326 residents head out to work, 32 work right here, and 901 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,500 people are in Leisure World on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.40 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.
Leisure World’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Getting around
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,853 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 94% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 24% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 17.8 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). 12.7% of Leisure World households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 13% of Leisure World’s commuters take a bus or train.
Leisure World places 1,863rd of 2,907 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 6,200 to 12,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 3 | Pimmit Hills VA | 6,589 | $173K | 1.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Scaggsville MD | 10,564 | $207K | 2.9% | 1.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Chevy Chase MD | 9,445 | $212K | 4.3% | 1.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Fairwood MD | 7,526 | $181K | 6.5% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,861 | Ripon WI | 7,738 | $55K | 12.8% | 2.7% | 33% | C+ |
| 1,862 | Chenango NY | 10,594 | $87K | 9.1% | 8.4% | 9% | C+ |
| 1,863 | Leisure World MD | 8,882 | $62K | 9.3% | 9.3% | 1% | C+ |
| 1,864 | Red Bank SC | 11,314 | $68K | 11.5% | 5.7% | 3% | C+ |
| 1,865 | Kingston TN | 6,299 | $72K | 7.1% | 8.1% | 7% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,907 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | 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 Leisure World, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Work in the towns next to Leisure World
The biggest share goes to Olney (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Leisure World workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leisure World | – | C+ | A | 40 min | $62,011 |
| Aspen Hill | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 34 min | $111,575 |
| Olney | 2% | A | A | 32 min | $171,458 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Leisure World’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 Leisure World: questions
What is the median household income in Leisure World?
$62,011 (±$10,364) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Leisure World?
9.3%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Leisure World?
40 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Leisure World work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (14%, 14 mi), Rockville (7%, 5 mi), Bethesda (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Leisure World walkable?
Leisure World is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.6 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Leisure World without a car?
13% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 24% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Leisure World, from the people who make the trip.
More of Leisure World
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.