Levi Foss House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Dayton has lower unemployment (0.2%) than 98% of U.S. towns
Only 5% stay in Dayton for work; outside it, Portland is the main destination (16%, 20 miles). Jobs and income earn Dayton A; getting around on foot earns it C. Household incomes here are higher than in 86% of U.S. towns.
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 Dayton
Dayton is a place people come home to
There are 207 jobs based in Dayton, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Dayton has about 1,200 people in it, 47% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Dayton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 238 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.
Where Dayton’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Dayton is better than 92% of U.S. towns. Unemployment holds Dayton’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 48% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Dayton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
In and out of Dayton on a workday
On a workday 1,176 residents head out to work, 62 work right here, and 145 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,200 people are in Dayton on a workday afternoon, 47% fewer than live here.
0.17 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.
Getting to work from Dayton takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dayton workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,116 commuters (the 16% 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.
The towns that employ Dayton’s residents
Where Dayton clocks in
16% of workers
9% of workers
8% 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.
Goods, not services: 40% of the jobs in Dayton
207 jobs are based in Dayton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dayton, 2013 → 2023: 171 → 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 Dayton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Dayton 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.
Getting around Dayton: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Dayton is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Dayton 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 1,334 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). 2.2% of Dayton households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Dayton’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Dayton is 285th of 5,404 U.S. towns of 1,500 to 2,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 283 | Ponder TX | 2,863 | $106K | 1.0% | 3.6% | 1% | A |
| 284 | Hartland Township IL | 1,882 | $105K | 1.1% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| 285 | Dayton ME | 2,182 | $114K | 3.7% | 0.2% | 5% | A |
| 286 | Allen Township OH | 2,873 | $139K | 7.5% | 0.0% | 7% | A |
| 287 | Green Bay WI | 2,193 | $97K | 2.0% | 1.0% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 587 | Ogunquit ME | 1,606 | $114K | 3.2% | 0.0% | 22% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 639 | Pownal ME | 1,645 | $104K | 5.5% | 0.7% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 707 | Newcastle ME | 1,915 | $90K | 3.5% | 0.0% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,404 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Dayton, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
17% of Dayton works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Biddeford (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dayton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton | – | A | C | 31 min | $113,750 |
| Hollis | under 3% | A− | C | 29 min | $95,950 |
| Buxton | under 3% | A | C | 34 min | $100,144 |
| Saco | 8% | A− | B+ | 24 min | $92,241 |
| Biddeford | 9% | B− | A | 24 min | $72,333 |
| Lyman | under 3% | B | C | 33 min | $87,284 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Dayton’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 Dayton: questions
What is the median household income in Dayton?
$113,750 (±$23,779) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dayton?
3.7%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dayton?
31 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dayton work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (16%, 20 mi), Biddeford (9%, 12 mi), Saco (8%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Dayton walkable?
Dayton is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Dayton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dayton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dayton
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.