Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Cottage · Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Rockville earn more than those in 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Rockville are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Below the poverty line: 7.6% of residents (Maryland 9.4%). 33% of workers have no commute at all, against 19% across Maryland.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Rockville
Rockville is where the jobs are
Rockville has 72,258 jobs, 2.7 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 113,000 people are in town, 67% more than the 68,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Rockville works from home
33% of Rockville workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
Rockville draws workers from far and wide
The 72,258 jobs in Rockville are filled from a wide area. Rockville’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 ↓
Most jobs in Rockville pay over $40,000 a year
77% of the jobs based in Rockville pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Nearly all the work in Rockville is services
87% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 5% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
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.
How Rockville earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rockville is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #88 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rockville could be anywhere from A− to A.
Who leaves Rockville for work, and who comes in
On a workday 23,113 residents head out to work, 3,808 work right here, and 68,450 people come in from elsewhere.
About 113,000 people are in Rockville on a workday afternoon, 67% more than live here.
2.7 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 2024, primary jobs.
From Rockville, about 31 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rockville workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 24,094 commuters (the 33% 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.
The towns that send workers to Rockville
Where Rockville clocks in
11% 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.
Most jobs in Rockville are in services
72,258 jobs are based in Rockville.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rockville, 2014 → 2024: 68,863 → 72,258. 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 Rockville’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Rockville
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.
Rockville is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rockville is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #13 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place Rockville 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 35,815 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 51% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 54.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 11.1% of Rockville households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 15% of Rockville’s commuters take a bus or train.
116th of 660: where Rockville ranks among U.S. towns of 47,000 to 91,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Bethesda MD | 69,397 | $192K | 4.3% | 3.1% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Ellicott City MD | 75,257 | $157K | 3.7% | 3.0% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | North Bethesda MD | 49,677 | $129K | 5.2% | 3.6% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 114 | San Ramon CA | 86,209 | $196K | 4.4% | 5.2% | 10% | A |
| 115 | Broomfield CO | 79,174 | $124K | 6.2% | 3.8% | 11% | A |
| 116 | Rockville MD | 67,563 | $129K | 7.6% | 3.9% | 14% | A |
| 117 | Beavercreek Township OH | 57,924 | $117K | 6.1% | 3.3% | 19% | A |
| 118 | Lower Merion Township PA | 64,691 | $177K | 6.3% | 4.9% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 660 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 27% | 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 Rockville, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Next door is work for 10% of Rockville
The biggest share goes to North Bethesda (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rockville workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockville | – | A | A+ | 31 min | $128,649 |
| North Bethesda | 6% | A | A+ | 30 min | $129,092 |
| Travilah | under 2% | A+ | B | 29 min | $250,000+ |
| Potomac | 4% | A+ | A | 30 min | $236,675 |
| Aspen Hill | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 34 min | $111,575 |
| Redland | under 2% | A | A+ | 35 min | $132,153 |
| North Potomac | under 2% | A | A | 32 min | $186,514 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rockville’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 Rockville: questions
What is the median household income in Rockville?
$128,649 (±$7,642) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rockville?
7.6%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rockville?
31 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rockville work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (11%, 14 mi), Bethesda (9%, 7 mi), North Bethesda (6%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Rockville walkable?
Rockville is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.1 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rockville without a car?
15% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 51% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rockville, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rockville
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.