Morrell House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 3.0North Berwick has higher household incomes than 78% of U.S. towns
About one in seven work in North Berwick; the top destination outside it is Sanford (7%, 5 miles). Poverty touches 4.4% of residents, where Maine as a whole has 10.7%. The average commute takes 31 minutes each way (Maine 25, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
North Berwick at work: what stands out
North Berwick makes and builds things
75% of the jobs based in North Berwick are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs North Berwick residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 22%. The jobs ↓
North Berwick is the work center of its corner
Every town that borders North Berwick (Sanford, Berwick, Wells, Lebanon and South Berwick) has fewer jobs than working residents, while North Berwick has 1.5 per resident. Next door ↓
A lot of North Berwick workers cross into New Hampshire
19% of North Berwick workers work outside Maine, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Portsmouth (5%), Dover (5%) and Rochester (3%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
The jobs in North Berwick pay better than its residents’ jobs
84% of the jobs based in North Berwick pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 67% of the jobs North Berwick residents hold. 91% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside North Berwick. The jobs ↓
North Berwick 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.
North Berwick’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Berwick is better than 75% of U.S. towns, #28 of 143 in Maine. The poverty rate holds North Berwick’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 46% 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, North Berwick could be anywhere from B− to A.
A place that makes things: 75% of North Berwick’s jobs are in goods
3,158 jobs are based in North Berwick.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Berwick, 2013 → 2023: 2,233 → 3,158. 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 North Berwick’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting in to North Berwick: where workers come from
Where North Berwick clocks in
7% of workers
6% 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.
Getting to work from North Berwick takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Berwick workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,142 commuters (the 15% 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.
North Berwick by day and by night
On a workday 1,797 residents head out to work, 282 work right here, and 2,876 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,400 people are in North Berwick on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
How far North Berwick goes to work
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 North Berwick, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Berwick is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #88 of 143 in Maine. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.0% across Maine, on an EPA index of 5.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,520 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). 4.9% of North Berwick households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of North Berwick’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,010th of 3,651: where North Berwick ranks among U.S. towns of 3,700 to 7,200
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 358 | North Yarmouth ME | 4,424 | $129K | 4.8% | 1.9% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 758 | Arundel ME | 4,596 | $102K | 5.9% | 3.0% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 785 | Hollis ME | 5,003 | $96K | 5.7% | 1.8% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,008 | El Cerrito CA | 5,325 | $109K | 6.9% | 5.9% | 2% | A− |
| 1,009 | Fircrest WA | 6,959 | $114K | 5.7% | 6.8% | 3% | A− |
| 1,010 | North Berwick ME | 5,355 | $102K | 4.4% | 3.7% | 14% | A− |
| 1,011 | Kensington Park FL | 3,916 | $90K | 9.3% | 3.2% | 2% | A− |
| 1,012 | Gulf Park Estates MS | 6,264 | $66K | 5.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,651 | 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 North Berwick, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
14% of North Berwick works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Berwick workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Berwick | – | A− | C | 31 min | $101,875 |
| Sanford | 7% | B− | B | 28 min | $72,524 |
| Berwick | 3% | A− | C− | 30 min | $94,771 |
| Wells | 4% | B− | B− | 28 min | $88,024 |
| Lebanon | under 3% | B+ | C− | 35 min | $97,750 |
| South Berwick | under 3% | B+ | C | 27 min | $99,572 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Sanford. Darker towns draw more of North 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 North Berwick: questions
What is the median household income in North Berwick?
$101,875 (±$15,727) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Berwick?
4.4%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Berwick?
31 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Berwick work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sanford (7%, 5 mi), Portland (6%, 36 mi), Portsmouth (5%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Berwick walkable?
North Berwick is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Berwick without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Berwick, from the people who make the trip.
More of North 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.