Photo: United States Census Bureau / Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos · Public domainAt 8.7%, unemployment in Suitland is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
Only 1% work in Suitland itself; outside it, Washington draws the most (37%, 6 miles). The two grades for Suitland are C+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Working residents average 36 minutes each way (Maryland 31, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Suitland apart on work
A lot of Suitland workers cross into Washington, D.C.
35% of Suitland workers work outside Maryland, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Washington (37%), Arlington (3%) and Alexandria (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Suitland draws workers from far and wide
The 6,910 jobs in Suitland are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 24%; the other 74% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Suitland is services
97% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 0% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Suitland’s working residents have a job less than 8 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 36 minutes, longer than the Maryland average of 31. Time on the road ↓
The jobs in Suitland pay better than its residents’ jobs
88% of the jobs based in Suitland pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 63% of the jobs Suitland residents hold. 98% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Suitland. 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.
The four measures behind Suitland’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Suitland is better than 44% of U.S. towns, #234 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds Suitland’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Suitland could be anywhere from C to B.
Where Suitland’s working residents head each day
Where Suitland clocks in
37% of workers
2% 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Suitland
6,910 jobs are based in Suitland.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Suitland, 2013 → 2023: 6,621 → 6,910. 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 Suitland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Suitland, about 36 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Suitland workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,207 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.
Who works in Suitland, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 9,888 residents head out to work, 138 work right here, and 6,772 people come in from elsewhere.
About 21,000 people are in Suitland on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.69 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.
The distance from Suitland to work
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.
Suitland is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,323 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 35% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 23.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 19.0% of Suitland households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 17% of Suitland’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Suitland ranks: 1,131st of 1,577 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 32,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,129 | Port St. John FL | 25,120 | $88K | 9.9% | 6.3% | 3% | C+ |
| 1,130 | Foley AL | 30,354 | $66K | 11.0% | 3.5% | 24% | C+ |
| 1,131 | Suitland MD | 23,793 | $72K | 13.5% | 8.7% | 1% | C+ |
| 1,132 | Mount Dora FL | 18,791 | $75K | 11.8% | 5.9% | 9% | C+ |
| 1,133 | Langley Park MD | 21,508 | $85K | 28.3% | 6.9% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 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 Suitland, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
Next door to Suitland
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Suitland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suitland | – | C+ | A+ | 36 min | $71,585 |
| Silver Hill | under 2% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $60,625 |
| Forestville | 1% | B | A+ | 35 min | $70,579 |
| Coral Hills | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 35 min | $68,603 |
| Camp Springs | under 2% | A− | A | 38 min | $120,456 |
| Hillcrest Heights | under 2% | B | A+ | 37 min | $82,785 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Forestville. Darker towns draw more of Suitland’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 Suitland: questions
What is the median household income in Suitland?
$71,585 (±$8,740) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Suitland?
13.5%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Suitland?
36 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Suitland work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (37%, 6 mi), Arlington (3%, 10 mi), Baltimore (2%, 35 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Suitland walkable?
Suitland is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.1 out of 20, and 19% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Suitland without a car?
17% of commuters take transit and 19% of households have no car. 35% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Suitland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Suitland
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.