Berwick High School · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Berwick works elsewhere
Only 6% work in Berwick; the top destination outside it is Dover (9%, 8 miles). Berwick has 994 jobs; 3,598 of its residents have a job. Jobs and income earn Berwick A−; getting around on foot earns it C−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Berwick apart on work
A lot of Berwick workers cross into New Hampshire
38% of Berwick workers work outside Maine, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Dover (9%), Portsmouth (9%) and Somersworth (5%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Berwick is a place people come home to
There are 994 jobs based in Berwick, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Berwick has about 5,800 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Berwick has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Berwick went from 696 in 2013 to 994 in 2023, +43%. The jobs ↓
Berwick workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 38 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Berwick
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Berwick is better than 78% of U.S. towns, #19 of 143 in Maine. The poverty rate holds Berwick’s grade up (4.2%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 40% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Berwick could be anywhere from B− to A.
Commuting out of Berwick: the destinations
Where Berwick clocks in
9% of workers
9% of workers
6% 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.
Berwick by day and by night
On a workday 3,383 residents head out to work, 215 work right here, and 779 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,800 people are in Berwick on a workday afternoon, 31% 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.
The kinds of work in Berwick
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Berwick, 2013 → 2023: 696 → 994. 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 Berwick’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Berwick: about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Berwick workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,508 commuters (the 20% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Berwick
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.
Most trips from Berwick start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Berwick is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns, #116 of 143 in Maine. Both inputs place Berwick 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 4,394 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.1% of Berwick households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Berwick’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 2,981 U.S. towns of 5,900 to 11,400, Berwick comes 851st on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 97 | Cumberland ME | 8,876 | $174K | 3.1% | 0.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 316 | Cape Elizabeth ME | 9,827 | $146K | 5.2% | 2.5% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 374 | Buxton ME | 8,681 | $100K | 2.3% | 1.4% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 849 | Lake of the Woods VA | 7,984 | $109K | 5.5% | 0.8% | 4% | A− |
| 850 | Millstadt Township IL | 6,490 | $91K | 7.0% | 3.7% | 11% | A− |
| 851 | Berwick ME | 8,436 | $95K | 4.2% | 2.5% | 6% | A− |
| 852 | Philipstown NY | 9,910 | $141K | 6.5% | 4.6% | 13% | A− |
| 853 | Forest Glen MD | 6,840 | $128K | 7.0% | 6.6% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,981 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Berwick, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
16% of Berwick works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Berwick workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berwick | – | A− | C− | 30 min | $94,771 |
| South Berwick | under 4% | B+ | C | 27 min | $99,572 |
| North Berwick | 6% | A− | C | 31 min | $101,875 |
| Lebanon | under 4% | B+ | C− | 35 min | $97,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to North Berwick. Darker towns draw more of Berwick’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 Berwick: questions
What is the median household income in Berwick?
$94,771 (±$23,734) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Berwick?
4.2%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Berwick?
30 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Berwick work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dover (9%, 8 mi), Portsmouth (9%, 17 mi), North Berwick (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Berwick walkable?
Berwick is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Berwick without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Berwick, from the people who make the trip.
More of Berwick
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.