Photo: TwoScarsUp · CC BY-SA 4.0North Potomac’s household incomes are higher than in 98% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.2 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 26.3 in Baltimore. Poverty touches 5.3% of residents, next to 9.4% for Maryland as a whole. Jobs and income earn North Potomac A; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in North Potomac: the figures worth knowing
Home offices are common in North Potomac
39% of North Potomac workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
80% of North Potomac’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 75% of the jobs based in North Potomac. The jobs ↓
Nearly all the work in North Potomac is services
91% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 4% are in factories, building or farms. 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.
Where North Potomac’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Potomac is better than 92% of U.S. towns, #59 of 261 in Maryland. Household income is its strongest input ($186,514, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.2%, 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, North Potomac could be anywhere from A− to A+.
About 32 minutes each way, about the MD average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Potomac workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,227 commuters (the 39% 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.
Most jobs in North Potomac are in services
3,768 jobs are based in North Potomac.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Potomac, 2013 → 2023: 3,329 → 3,768. 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 North Potomac’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes North Potomac
On a workday 10,071 residents head out to work, 373 work right here, and 3,395 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in North Potomac on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
0.36 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.
12% of working residents work in Rockville
Where North Potomac clocks in
12% of workers
10% of workers
9% 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.
North Potomac’s commute, mile by mile
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.
North Potomac is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Potomac is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns, #113 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place North Potomac 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 11,897 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 65% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 29% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 85% 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). 4.8% of North Potomac households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of North Potomac’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,577 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 32,000, North Potomac comes 203rd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | North Laurel MD | 25,563 | $123K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Arnold MD | 24,303 | $142K | 3.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 70 | Damascus MD | 17,640 | $159K | 3.7% | 2.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 201 | Southbury CT | 20,468 | $113K | 3.4% | 3.0% | 12% | A |
| 202 | Wilmington MA | 23,629 | $168K | 3.8% | 4.8% | 11% | A |
| 203 | North Potomac MD | 23,922 | $187K | 5.3% | 4.2% | 4% | A |
| 204 | Sugar Creek Township IN | 18,299 | $101K | 5.6% | 2.0% | 7% | A |
| 205 | Country Walk FL | 19,291 | $125K | 6.0% | 2.9% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,577 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 North Potomac, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
The towns next door employ 20% of North Potomac
The biggest share goes to Rockville (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Potomac workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Potomac | – | A | A | 32 min | $186,514 |
| Travilah | under 3% | A+ | B | 29 min | $250,000+ |
| Darnestown | under 3% | A+ | B+ | 37 min | $232,135 |
| Gaithersburg | 8% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $112,467 |
| Rockville | 12% | A | A+ | 31 min | $128,649 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Potomac’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 North Potomac: questions
What is the median household income in North Potomac?
$186,514 (±$6,709) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Potomac?
5.3%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Potomac?
32 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 39% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Potomac work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rockville (12%, 4 mi), Washington (10%, 18 mi), Bethesda (9%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Potomac walkable?
North Potomac is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.4 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Potomac without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 29% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Potomac, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Potomac
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.