Photo: Russ · CC BY 2.0Household incomes put Potomac near the very top of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 3.9% of residents (Maryland 9.4%). Household incomes here are among the highest in the country. Jobs and income earn 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 Potomac, in a few figures
A lot of Potomac works from home
38% of Potomac workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
Potomac has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Potomac went from 13,844 in 2013 to 27,398 in 2023, +98%. The jobs ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
80% of 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 77% of the jobs based in Potomac. The jobs ↓
A lot of Potomac workers cross into Washington, D.C.
22% of Potomac workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (18%), Tysons (3%) and Arlington (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Potomac draws workers from far and wide
The 27,398 jobs in Potomac are filled from a wide area. Potomac’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 67% come from many towns beyond those. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside Potomac’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Potomac is better than 97% of U.S. towns, #34 of 261 in Maryland. Household income is its strongest input ($236,675, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, 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, Potomac could be anywhere from A to A+.
The trip to work from Potomac: about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Potomac workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,387 commuters (the 38% 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.
77% of the jobs in Potomac pay over $3,333 a month
27,398 jobs are based in Potomac.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Potomac, 2013 → 2023: 13,844 → 27,398. 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 Potomac’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that send workers to Potomac
Where Potomac clocks in
18% of workers
10% of workers
7% 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.
In and out of Potomac on a workday
On a workday 16,424 residents head out to work, 1,404 work right here, and 25,994 people come in from elsewhere.
About 55,000 people are in Potomac on a workday afternoon, 21% more than live here.
1.5 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Potomac
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Potomac
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Potomac is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #93 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place 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 21,685 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 74% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 35% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 3.6% of Potomac households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Potomac’s commuters take a bus or train.
Potomac is 36th of 969 U.S. towns of 32,000 to 62,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Severna Park MD | 40,228 | $170K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Pasadena MD | 34,309 | $130K | 5.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | New Trier Township IL | 56,118 | $216K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 10% | A+ |
| 35 | Shrewsbury MA | 39,627 | $139K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| 36 | Potomac MD | 45,902 | $237K | 3.9% | 3.6% | 8% | A+ |
| 37 | Perry Township IN | 39,325 | $112K | 3.4% | 1.3% | 16% | A+ |
| 38 | Valley Stream NY | 40,379 | $133K | 5.5% | 2.8% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Odenton MD | 45,002 | $128K | 4.5% | 2.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 969 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Potomac, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Next door is work for 22% of Potomac
The biggest share goes to Bethesda (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Potomac workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potomac | – | A+ | A | 30 min | $236,675 |
| Travilah | under 2% | A+ | B | 29 min | $250,000+ |
| Rockville | 7% | A | A+ | 31 min | $128,649 |
| North Bethesda | 5% | A | A+ | 30 min | $129,092 |
| Cabin John | under 2% | A+ | A | 31 min | $250,000+ |
| Bethesda | 10% | A+ | A+ | 28 min | $192,237 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of 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 Potomac: questions
What is the median household income in Potomac?
$236,675 (±$16,199) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Potomac?
3.9%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Potomac?
30 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 38% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Potomac work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (18%, 12 mi), Bethesda (10%, 4 mi), Rockville (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Potomac walkable?
Potomac is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.0 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Potomac without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 35% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Potomac, from the people who make the trip.
More of 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.