Photo: Sagitta at English Wikipedia · Public domainJobs and earnings in Thorndike, and the trip to work
45% of workers work from home (Maine 16%). Only 4% work in Thorndike; the top destination outside it is Bangor (9%, 27 miles). Working residents average 36 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
The short version on getting to work from Thorndike
A lot of Thorndike works from home
45% of Thorndike workers work from home, against 16% across Maine. Time on the road ↓
Thorndike’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Thorndike is Bangor, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (21) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Thorndike workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 84 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; with 240 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Getting to work from Thorndike takes about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Thorndike workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 309 commuters (the 45% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Thorndike
About 15% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Thorndike
On a workday 231 residents head out to work, 9 work right here, and 190 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.83 per resident).
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 places Thorndike commutes to
Where Thorndike clocks in
9% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
Thorndike is a services town
199 jobs are based in Thorndike.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Thorndike, 2013 → 2023: 265 → 199. 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 Thorndike’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Next door to Thorndike
The biggest share goes to Unity (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Thorndike workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorndike | – | — | — | 36 min | $78,438 |
| Unity | 7% | C− | A− | 21 min | $62,857 |
| Knox | under 3% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Jackson | under 3% | — | — | 35 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Knox and Jackson: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Thorndike’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 Thorndike: questions
What is the median household income in Thorndike?
$78,438 (±$14,400) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Thorndike?
6.5%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Thorndike?
36 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 45% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Thorndike work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bangor (9%, 27 mi), Belfast (8%, 16 mi), Waterville (7%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Thorndike without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Thorndike, from the people who make the trip.
More of Thorndike
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.