Montpelier · Photo: The original uploader was Quarterczar at English Wikipedia. · Public domainSouth Laurel has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
South Laurel has 4,337 jobs, and 13,206 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn South Laurel B; getting around on foot earns it A. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 26.3 in Baltimore.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in South Laurel: the gist
A lot of South Laurel workers cross into Washington, D.C.
22% of South Laurel workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (17%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
South Laurel empties out on a workday
About 20,000 people are in South Laurel on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than the 29,000 who live here: 13,000 head out to work and 4,100 come in. Day and night ↓
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.
What’s behind South Laurel’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Laurel is better than 59% of U.S. towns, #198 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds South Laurel’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Laurel could be anywhere from B− to A−.
17% of working residents work in Washington
Where South Laurel clocks in
17% of workers
4% 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.
The workday shuffle in and out of South Laurel
On a workday 12,950 residents head out to work, 256 work right here, and 4,081 people come in from elsewhere.
About 20,000 people are in South Laurel on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
In South Laurel, 32% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Laurel, 2013 → 2023: 3,560 → 4,337. 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 South Laurel’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from South Laurel: about 33 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Laurel workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,110 commuters (the 13% 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.
How far it is to work from South Laurel
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: South Laurel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Laurel is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #98 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place South Laurel 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 15,145 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 69% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 17% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 86% 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). 9.3% of South Laurel households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of South Laurel’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,506 U.S. towns of 20,000 to 40,000, South Laurel comes 889th 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 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | North Laurel MD | 25,563 | $123K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Arnold MD | 24,303 | $142K | 3.1% | 2.6% | 6% | A+ |
| 49 | Pasadena MD | 34,309 | $130K | 5.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 887 | Glenn Heights TX | 20,327 | $82K | 13.0% | 5.3% | 1% | B |
| 888 | Antioch Township IL | 27,763 | $102K | 8.9% | 8.0% | 10% | B |
| 889 | South Laurel MD | 29,272 | $89K | 11.8% | 6.7% | 2% | B |
| 890 | Harker Heights TX | 35,195 | $81K | 10.2% | 3.9% | 8% | B |
| 891 | Bourne MA | 20,772 | $91K | 6.2% | 5.6% | 18% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,506 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 South Laurel, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
How South Laurel compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Laurel (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Laurel workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Laurel | – | B | A | 33 min | $88,933 |
| Maryland City | under 2% | A− | A− | 30 min | $117,337 |
| Laurel | 2% | A− | A | 31 min | $100,504 |
| Konterra | under 2% | A− | B− | 30 min | $130,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Laurel’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 South Laurel: questions
What is the median household income in South Laurel?
$88,933 (±$8,867) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Laurel?
11.8%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Laurel?
33 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Laurel work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (17%, 14 mi), Columbia (5%, 10 mi), Baltimore (4%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is South Laurel walkable?
South Laurel is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.6 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Laurel without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 17% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Laurel, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Laurel
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.