Unemployment in Melwood (8.6%) is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Working residents average 36 minutes each way; Maryland averages 31, the U.S. 26. For jobs and income Melwood is better than 48% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns (B−). Only 1% work in Melwood itself; outside it, Washington draws the most (26%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Melwood and work: the main findings
A lot of Melwood workers cross into Washington, D.C.
26% of Melwood workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (26%), Arlington (3%) and Alexandria (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Melwood is where the jobs are
Melwood has 2,538 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Melwood has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Melwood went from 1,729 in 2013 to 2,538 in 2023, +47%. The jobs ↓
Melwood workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 31 across Maryland. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 38 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 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Melwood’s grade
Job access by car holds Melwood’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Melwood could be anywhere from C to A.
The daily trip into Melwood
Where Melwood clocks in
26% 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.
Who commutes out of Melwood, and who commutes in
On a workday 1,571 residents head out to work, 16 work right here, and 2,522 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,400 people are in Melwood on a workday afternoon, 28% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
69% of the jobs in Melwood pay over $3,333 a month
2,538 jobs are based in Melwood.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Melwood, 2013 → 2023: 1,729 → 2,538. 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 Melwood’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Melwood: about 36 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Melwood workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,267 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Melwood
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.
Most of Melwood commutes by car
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 5.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 8.0% across Maryland, on an EPA index of 5.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,518 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). 7.6% of Melwood households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Melwood’s commuters take a bus or train.
Melwood is 2,282nd of 4,402 U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,600 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Brown Station MD | 3,451 | $169K | 3.3% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Naval Academy MD | 3,006 | $122K | 1.5% | 4.4% | 0% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Herald Harbor MD | 2,430 | $148K | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,280 | Brooks Township MI | 3,833 | $78K | 7.7% | 3.3% | 1% | B− |
| 2,281 | East Quincy CA | 2,723 | $70K | 5.6% | 2.9% | 28% | B− |
| 2,282 | Melwood MD | 3,401 | $81K | 12.8% | 8.6% | 1% | B− |
| 2,283 | Mountain Iron MN | 2,835 | $83K | 11.5% | 3.3% | 21% | B− |
| 2,284 | Waterford Township ND | 2,404 | $69K | 1.5% | 0.0% | 4% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,402 | 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 Melwood, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
How Melwood compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Clinton (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Melwood workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melwood | – | B− | B− | 36 min | $81,364 |
| Andrews AFB | under 2% | A | A | 17 min | $87,407 |
| Clinton | 2% | A− | B | 38 min | $124,803 |
| Rosaryville | under 2% | A | C+ | 43 min | $158,923 |
| Queensland | under 2% | A | D | 31 min | $204,423 |
| Westphalia | under 2% | A | B | 37 min | $164,197 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Melwood’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 Melwood: questions
What is the median household income in Melwood?
$81,364 (±$19,110) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Melwood?
12.8%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Melwood?
36 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Melwood work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (26%, 12 mi), Baltimore (3%, 37 mi), Arlington (3%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Melwood walkable?
Melwood is more walkable than 49% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Melwood without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Melwood, from the people who make the trip.
More of Melwood
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.