Melwood Park · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainHousehold incomes in Westphalia top those of 97% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Westphalia A; getting around on foot earns it B. Poverty touches 6.1% of residents, where Maryland as a whole has 9.4%. 30% of workers have no commute at all, where Maryland as a whole has 19%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Westphalia, in brief
A lot of Westphalia workers cross into Washington, D.C.
36% of Westphalia workers work outside Maryland, most of them in Washington, D.C., the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
77% of Westphalia’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 79% of the jobs based in Westphalia. The jobs ↓
Home offices are common in Westphalia
30% of Westphalia workers work from home, against 19% across Maryland. Time on the road ↓
One in three of Westphalia works in Washington
1,937 working residents, 33%, have their main job in Washington, DC, 11 miles away. That’s 33 times as many as work in Westphalia itself. The commute map ↓
Westphalia 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. 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Westphalia
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westphalia is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #97 of 261 in Maryland. Household income holds Westphalia’s grade up ($164,197, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.2%, 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, Westphalia could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
33% of working residents work in Washington
Where Westphalia clocks in
33% of workers
3% 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.
A place that makes things: 32% of Westphalia’s jobs are in goods
3,553 jobs are based in Westphalia.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westphalia, 2013 → 2023: 2,963 → 3,553. 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 Westphalia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Westphalia’s commute takes about 37 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westphalia workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,621 commuters (the 30% 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 leaves Westphalia for work, and who comes in
On a workday 5,771 residents head out to work, 58 work right here, and 3,495 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Westphalia on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.61 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Westphalia
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.
Driving is how Westphalia gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westphalia is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns, #204 of 261 in Maryland. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 8.0% across Maryland, on an EPA index of 6.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,005 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 2.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 72% 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). 2.9% of Westphalia households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Westphalia’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Westphalia ranks: 569th of 2,526 U.S. towns of 9,000 to 18,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Scaggsville MD | 10,564 | $207K | 2.9% | 1.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Chevy Chase MD | 9,445 | $212K | 4.3% | 1.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Annapolis Neck MD | 12,032 | $174K | 3.3% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 567 | Thornapple Township MI | 9,692 | $91K | 5.6% | 1.9% | 12% | A |
| 568 | Alum Rock CA | 10,440 | $127K | 6.2% | 4.5% | 1% | A |
| 569 | Westphalia MD | 13,228 | $164K | 6.1% | 5.2% | 1% | A |
| 570 | Halawa HI | 14,385 | $110K | 9.3% | 2.6% | 3% | A |
| 571 | River Forest IL | 11,393 | $147K | 2.7% | 8.1% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,526 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Westphalia, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
How Westphalia compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westphalia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westphalia | – | A | B | 37 min | $164,197 |
| Morningside | under 2% | B− | A | 28 min | $69,000 |
| Brown Station | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 30 min | $168,848 |
| Queensland | under 2% | A | D | 31 min | $204,423 |
| Largo | under 2% | B+ | A | 33 min | $103,375 |
| Forestville | under 2% | B | A+ | 35 min | $70,579 |
| Andrews AFB | under 2% | A | A | 17 min | $87,407 |
| Marlboro Village | under 2% | A | B+ | 35 min | $122,856 |
| Melwood | under 2% | B− | B− | 36 min | $81,364 |
| Upper Marlboro | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Upper Marlboro: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westphalia’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 Westphalia: questions
What is the median household income in Westphalia?
$164,197 (±$24,541) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westphalia?
6.1%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westphalia?
37 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westphalia work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (33%, 11 mi), Arlington (4%, 15 mi), Lake Arbor (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westphalia walkable?
Westphalia is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 6.1 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westphalia without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westphalia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westphalia
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.