Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Lowell

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded–Not graded
Jobs & commute in Lowell

Lowell has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Lowell has 6 jobs; 143 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Lowell itself; outside it, Lincoln draws the most (14%, 10 miles). The average commute takes 31 minutes each way; Maine averages 25, the U.S. 26.

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

In and out of Lowell on a workday

On a workday 143 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 6 people come in from elsewhere.

143live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
6work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night390
Workday250
390live here− 140head out to work+ 6come in to work= 250on a workday

About 250 people are in Lowell on a workday afternoon, 35% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.04jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

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 commute map

Where the trip to work from Lowell ends

Waterville: 3 residents work here (2%)Brewer: 9 residents work here (6%)Portland: 4 residents work here (3%)Bangor: 16 residents work here (11%)Old Town: 5 residents work here (3%)Augusta: 4 residents work here (3%)BurlingtonSpringfieldEnfieldWinn: 9 residents work here (6%)Lee: 11 residents work here (8%)St. AgathaOrono: 4 residents work here (3%)Lincoln: 20 residents work here (14%)LowellPassadumkeagHowlandLincolnBangorLeeBrewerWinnOld TownLowell
1
Lincoln10.3 mi away
14%20
2
Bangor29.9 mi away
11%16
3
Lee15.1 mi away
8%11
4
Brewer31.7 mi away
6%9
5
Winn20 mi away
6%9
6
Old Town21.2 mi away
3%5
7
Portland137 mi away
3%4
8
Augusta85.5 mi away
3%4
9
Orono25.6 mi away
3%4
10
Waterville73 mi away
2%3
Everywhere elseother towns and states
41%58
The top trips

Where Lowell clocks in

Lines 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.

The jobs

Mostly services: health care, schools and offices

Jobs based in LowellJobs Lowell residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms0%24%
Trade, transport & utilities0%25%
Services: health, schools, offices100%51%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less67%21%
$1,251–$3,333 a month17%27%
Over $3,333 a month17%52%

Who does it

29 or younger17%17%
30 to 5467%48%
55 and older17%36%
−25%

Jobs based in Lowell, 2013 → 2023: 8 → 6. 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 Lowell’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

How long Lowell spends getting to work: about 31 minutes

A year of commuting
235 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Lowell31 min
Maine25 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
11%

of Lowell workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.

About 1 in 10
How Lowell gets to work
85%Drive alone
12%Carpool
2%Other

Share of the 124 commuters (the 11% 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.

How far

Short hops and long hauls from Lowell

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miLincoln: 14% · 10.3 miBangor: 11% · 29.9 miLee: 8% · 15.1 miBrewer: 6% · 31.7 miWinn: 6% · 20 miOld Town: 3% · 21.2 miPortland: 3% · 137 miAugusta: 3% · 85.5 miOrono: 3% · 25.6 miWaterville: 2% · 73 miLincoln 14%Bangor 11%Lee 8%Brewer 6%Winn 6%Lowell
LowellTop destinations (size = commuters)
15%Under 10 mi21 residents
31%10–24 mi44 residents
24%25–50 mi35 residents
30%Over 50 mi43 residents

About 30% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.

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.

Next door

Around Lowell: the bordering towns

10%+5–9%2–4%1%Under 1%

Average commute minutes, one way

Enfield27 min
Lowell31 min
Burlington39 min
Passadumkeag40 min

Jobs & commute next door

TownLowell workers thereJobs & incomeWalkabilityCommuteHousehold income
Lowell–——31 min$50,833
Enfieldunder 3%CC+27 min$62,667
Burlingtonunder 3%——39 min—
Passadumkeagunder 3%——40 min—

Same-state neighbors only. Burlington and Passadumkeag: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.

Darker towns draw more of Lowell’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Lowell: questions

What is the median household income in Lowell?

$50,833 (±$30,873) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Lowell?

10.8%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Lowell?

31 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Lowell work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lincoln (14%, 10 mi), Bangor (11%, 30 mi), Lee (8%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Lowell without a car?

0% 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 Lowell, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Lowell

Lowell home →

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.