Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 4.0Earning a living in South Windham
Working from home is the commute for 24% of workers; Maine has 16%. Hardly any stay in South Windham for work; outside it, Portland is the main destination (26%, 14 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 34 minutes (Maine 25, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in South Windham, in a few figures
Short distances, slow trips
Half of South Windham’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 34 minutes, longer than the Maine average of 25. Time on the road ↓
Most South Windham residents work close to home
61% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
Most jobs in South Windham pay over $40,000 a year
78% of the jobs based in South Windham pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
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; with 604 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Time on the road from South Windham: about 34 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Windham workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 403 commuters (the 25% 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.
Miles to work from South Windham
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 jobs in South Windham are in services
450 jobs are based in South Windham.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Windham, 2013 → 2023: 477 → 450. 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 South Windham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
South Windham on a workday afternoon
On a workday 599 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 445 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in South Windham on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.75 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.
Where South Windham goes to work
Where South Windham clocks in
26% of workers
12% of workers
10% 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.
Around South Windham: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Gorham (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Windham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Windham | – | — | — | 34 min | $133,223 |
| Little Falls | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Gorham | 4% | A | A− | 27 min | $112,312 |
Same-state neighbors only. Little Falls: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Windham’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 South Windham: questions
What is the median household income in South Windham?
$133,223 (±$20,801) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Windham?
9.4%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Windham?
34 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Windham work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (26%, 14 mi), Windham (12%, 4 mi), South Portland (10%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around South Windham 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 South Windham, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Windham
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.