Photo: Troy R. Bennett · CC BY-SA 4.0Fewer people are out of work in Harpswell (1.2%) than in 93% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are higher than in 74% of U.S. towns. Harpswell grades A− for jobs and income and C− for walkability. About one in seven work in Harpswell itself; outside it, Brunswick draws the most (15%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Harpswell, in a few figures
Harpswell has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Harpswell went from 326 in 2013 to 545 in 2023, +67%. The jobs ↓
Harpswell and Brunswick trade workers both ways
Brunswick is the top workplace for Harpswell residents (15%) and also where the most people who work in Harpswell come from (10% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Harpswell’s workforce skews older
39% of Harpswell’s working residents are 55 or older. The jobs ↓
Harpswell 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. Every town next door averages less (21 to 24 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How Harpswell earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Harpswell is better than 78% of U.S. towns, #20 of 143 in Maine. Unemployment holds Harpswell’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 32% 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, Harpswell could be anywhere from B to A.
Inside Harpswell’s 545 jobs
545 jobs are based in Harpswell.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Harpswell, 2013 → 2023: 326 → 545. 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 Harpswell’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that employ Harpswell’s residents
Where Harpswell clocks in
15% of workers
13% 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.
A commute of about 30 minutes in Harpswell
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Harpswell workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,112 commuters (the 21% 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.
Who works in Harpswell, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,519 residents head out to work, 212 work right here, and 333 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,900 people are in Harpswell on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer than live here.
0.31 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.
Harpswell’s commute, mile by mile
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 Harpswell, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Harpswell is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns, #102 of 143 in Maine. Both inputs place Harpswell 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 2,662 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 1.9% of Harpswell households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Harpswell’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,627 U.S. towns of 3,600 to 6,900, Harpswell comes 877th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 348 | North Yarmouth ME | 4,424 | $129K | 4.8% | 1.9% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 731 | Arundel ME | 4,596 | $102K | 5.9% | 3.0% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 759 | Hollis ME | 5,003 | $96K | 5.7% | 1.8% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 875 | Islandia NY | 3,733 | $116K | 7.7% | 5.5% | 6% | A− |
| 876 | Evansville WI | 5,837 | $81K | 5.6% | 2.6% | 19% | A− |
| 877 | Harpswell ME | 5,102 | $96K | 5.6% | 1.2% | 12% | A− |
| 878 | Addison Township MI | 6,321 | $111K | 5.2% | 4.5% | 4% | A− |
| 879 | Denver PA | 3,747 | $86K | 7.3% | 3.1% | 7% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,627 | 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 Harpswell, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
Work next door: 19% of Harpswell’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Harpswell workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpswell | – | A− | C− | 30 min | $96,250 |
| Brunswick | 15% | B | A | 23 min | $74,952 |
| Freeport | 4% | B+ | A− | 24 min | $107,326 |
| West Bath | under 3% | A− | C− | 21 min | $103,333 |
| Phippsburg | under 3% | B+ | C+ | 21 min | $107,833 |
| Chebeague Island | under 3% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Chebeague Island: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Brunswick. Darker towns draw more of Harpswell’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 Harpswell: questions
What is the median household income in Harpswell?
$96,250 (±$14,598) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Harpswell?
5.6%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Harpswell?
30 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Harpswell work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Brunswick (15%, 11 mi), Portland (13%, 13 mi), Bath (6%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Harpswell walkable?
Harpswell is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 6.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Harpswell without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Harpswell, from the people who make the trip.
More of Harpswell
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.