Photo: Andrew Bossi · CC BY-SA 2.5Most of White Oak commutes out: there are 0.3 jobs for every working resident
Only 1% work in White Oak itself; outside it, Washington draws the most (22%, 10 miles). There are 2,207 jobs in White Oak, and 6,472 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn White Oak B−; getting around on foot earns it A+.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from White Oak
White Oak’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, White Oak is better than 50% of U.S. towns, #223 of 261 in Maryland. Job access by car holds White Oak’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (7.1%, 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, White Oak could be anywhere from C+ to B+.
Where White Oak’s working residents head each day
Where White Oak clocks in
22% of workers
5% of workers
5% 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.
White Oak by day and by night
On a workday 6,401 residents head out to work, 71 work right here, and 2,136 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in White Oak on a workday afternoon, 25% 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.
Services make up most of the work in White Oak
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in White Oak, 2013 → 2023: 2,918 → 2,207. 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 White Oak’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from White Oak: about 34 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of White Oak workers work from home, vs 19% across Maryland. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,209 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.
How many miles White Oak commutes
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.
White Oak 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 8,499 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, 48% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 26.4 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). 14.6% of White Oak households have no vehicle (Maryland 8.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 13% of White Oak’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,999 U.S. towns of 12,000 to 23,000, White Oak comes 1,279th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Annapolis Neck MD | 12,032 | $174K | 3.3% | 0.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Colesville MD | 14,519 | $131K | 3.4% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 65 | Honeygo MD | 12,250 | $146K | 1.8% | 2.8% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,277 | Harrison Township IN | 13,718 | $67K | 9.0% | 4.4% | 26% | B− |
| 1,278 | Alpine Township MI | 14,034 | $68K | 11.2% | 5.5% | 5% | B− |
| 1,279 | White Oak MD | 17,329 | $83K | 15.1% | 7.1% | 1% | B− |
| 1,280 | Washington Township IN | 14,073 | $64K | 12.0% | 2.3% | 40% | B− |
| 1,281 | Dover NJ | 18,919 | $74K | 14.2% | 5.9% | 9% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,999 | 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 White Oak, the top three, the last and three more from Maryland.
How White Oak compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Calverton (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | White Oak workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak | – | B− | A+ | 34 min | $83,370 |
| Calverton | 2% | B+ | A | 31 min | $107,381 |
| Kemp Mill | under 2% | B+ | A | 31 min | $146,354 |
| Colesville | under 2% | A+ | A | 30 min | $130,682 |
| Burnt Mills | under 2% | B+ | A | 32 min | $113,463 |
| Hillandale | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $164,871 |
| Fairland | under 2% | B+ | A | 35 min | $98,800 |
| Beltsville | under 2% | B | A | 32 min | $99,642 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of White Oak’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 White Oak: questions
What is the median household income in White Oak?
$83,370 (±$14,823) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,678 across Maryland and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in White Oak?
15.1%, against 9.4% across Maryland and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from White Oak?
34 minutes each way on average, against 31 across Maryland and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in White Oak work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (22%, 10 mi), Rockville (5%, 10 mi), Bethesda (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is White Oak walkable?
White Oak is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.1 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around White Oak without a car?
13% of commuters take transit and 15% of households have no car. 48% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from White Oak, from the people who make the trip.
More of White Oak
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.