West Laurel has higher household incomes than 97% of U.S. towns
2.6% of residents live below the poverty line, where Maryland as a whole has 9.4%. The two grades for West Laurel are A for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Hardly any work in West Laurel itself; outside it, Washington draws the most (13%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in West Laurel, in brief
West Laurel is a place people come home to
There are 153 jobs based in West Laurel, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday West Laurel has about 2,600 people in it, 41% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
West Laurel workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 31 across Maryland. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (30 to 33 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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.
Jobs & income in West Laurel: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Laurel is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #55 of 261 in Maryland. Household income holds West Laurel’s grade up ($164,688, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Laurel could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Who leaves West Laurel for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,957 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 148 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in West Laurel on a workday afternoon, 41% fewer than live here.
0.08 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.
From West Laurel, about 37 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Laurel workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,982 commuters (the 15% 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 places West Laurel commutes to
Where West Laurel clocks in
13% 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 153 jobs based in West Laurel
153 jobs are based in West Laurel.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Laurel, 2013 → 2023: 195 → 153. 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 West Laurel’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from West 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.
In West Laurel, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Laurel is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns, #228 of 261 in Maryland. Both inputs place West 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 2,331 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 51% 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). 1.3% of West Laurel households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of West Laurel’s commuters take a bus or train.
How West Laurel ranks: 300th of 4,000 U.S. towns of 3,100 to 6,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Fulton MD | 5,677 | $222K | 0.7% | 1.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Riva MD | 4,976 | $176K | 1.1% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Brown Station MD | 3,451 | $169K | 3.3% | 1.2% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 298 | Prospect KY | 4,705 | $163K | 2.4% | 4.2% | 4% | A |
| 299 | Royalton Township MI | 5,198 | $129K | 2.9% | 2.2% | 6% | A |
| 300 | West Laurel MD | 4,428 | $165K | 2.6% | 5.0% | <1% | A |
| 301 | Monee IL | 5,119 | $92K | 6.2% | 1.2% | 4% | A |
| 302 | Rancho Murieta CA | 5,875 | $140K | 4.1% | 2.5% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,000 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 West Laurel, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
West Laurel and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Laurel (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Laurel workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Laurel | – | A | C+ | 37 min | $164,688 |
| Scaggsville | under 2% | A+ | B− | 30 min | $207,220 |
| Burtonsville | under 2% | A− | A | 33 min | $134,276 |
| Konterra | 2% | A− | B− | 30 min | $130,000 |
| Laurel | 3% | A− | A | 31 min | $100,504 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West 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 West Laurel: questions
What is the median household income in West Laurel?
$164,688 (±$16,867) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Laurel?
2.6%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Laurel?
37 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Laurel work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (13%, 16 mi), Columbia (7%, 6 mi), Baltimore (4%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Laurel walkable?
West Laurel is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Laurel without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Laurel, from the people who make the trip.
More of West 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.