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Waldo County Maine Incorporated Areas Waldo HighlightedPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded–Not graded
Jobs & commute in Waldo

Waldo has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Only 1% work in Waldo; the top destination outside it is Belfast (30%, 4 miles). There are 98 jobs in Waldo for 349 working residents. The average commute takes 20 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

98 jobs based here
Household income
$71K
median · Maine $75K
Poverty
10.4%
Maine 10.7%
Unemployment
4.3%
Maine 3.8% · U.S. 5.2%
Time each way
20 min
Maine 25 · U.S. 26
Work in town
1%
5 of 349 working residents
Work from home
16%
Maine 16% · U.S. 15%
What stands out · In brief

Work in Waldo: the figures worth knowing

35%work in a bordering town3jobs for every ten working residents20 minaverage commute · ME 25

A lot of Waldo works one town over

35% of working residents work in a town that borders Waldo: Belfast (30%), Brooks (3%) and Swanville (2%). Next door ↓

Waldo is a place people come home to

There are 98 jobs based in Waldo, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Waldo has about 620 people in it, 29% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓

Commutes from Waldo are quick

The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 25 across Maine. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Maine 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 349 working residents, small shifts move the shares.

Day and night

How a workday changes Waldo

On a workday 344 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 93 people come in from elsewhere.

344live here, work elsewhere
5live and work here
93work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night870
Workday620
870live here− 340head out to work+ 93come in to work= 620on a workday

About 620 people are in Waldo on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.28jobs 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.

Time on the road

Each way, about 20 minutes from Waldo

A year of commuting
152 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Waldo20 min
Maine25 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
16%

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

About 2 in 10
How Waldo gets to work
84%Drive alone
11%Carpool
4%Transit
2%Walk

Share of the 432 commuters (the 16% 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.

The commute map

Where the trip to work from Waldo ends

Rockland: 15 residents work here (4%)Bangor: 27 residents work here (8%)Old TownBelfast: 105 residents work here (30%)Augusta: 11 residents work here (3%)Brooks: 9 residents work here (3%)Rockport: 8 residents work here (2%)FairfieldJacksonWaldoStockton SpringsSearsport: 12 residents work here (3%)Swanville: 8 residents work here (2%)Thorndike: 8 residents work here (2%)MorrillMonroeMontvilleUnity: 7 residents work here (2%)BelfastBangorRocklandSearsportAugustaBrooksWaldo
1
Belfast4.3 mi away
30%105
2
Bangor29.2 mi away
8%27
3
Rockland23.7 mi away
4%15
4
Searsport8.1 mi away
3%12
5
Augusta32.9 mi away
3%11
6
Brooks5.1 mi away
3%9
7
Rockport20.5 mi away
2%8
8
Swanville5.3 mi away
2%8
9
Thorndike11.3 mi away
2%8
10
Unity15.1 mi away
2%7
Everywhere elseother towns and states
40%139
The top trips

Where Waldo clocks in

30% of workers
4.3 mi awayBelfast105 Waldo residents work here · Jobs & commute →
8% of workers
29.2 mi awayBangor27 Waldo residents work here · Jobs & commute →
4% of workers
23.7 mi awayRockland15 Waldo residents work here · Jobs & commute →

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

The kinds of work in Waldo

Jobs based in WaldoJobs Waldo residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms14%21%
Trade, transport & utilities51%22%
Services: health, schools, offices35%57%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less13%14%
$1,251–$3,333 a month33%28%
Over $3,333 a month54%59%

Who does it

29 or younger13%21%
30 to 5449%52%
55 and older38%26%
+18%

Jobs based in Waldo, 2013 → 2023: 83 → 98. 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 Waldo’s own residents hold wherever they work.

How far

How far it is to work from Waldo

10 mi25 mi40 miBelfast: 30% · 4.3 miBangor: 8% · 29.2 miRockland: 4% · 23.7 miSearsport: 3% · 8.1 miAugusta: 3% · 32.9 miBrooks: 3% · 5.1 miRockport: 2% · 20.5 miSwanville: 2% · 5.3 miThorndike: 2% · 11.3 miUnity: 2% · 15.1 miBelfast 30%Bangor 8%Rockland 4%Searsport 3%Augusta 3%Waldo
WaldoTop destinations (size = commuters)
43%Under 10 mi151 residents
18%10–24 mi63 residents
26%25–50 mi91 residents
13%Over 50 mi44 residents

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

The towns next door employ 35% of Waldo

Brooks: 3% of workers work hereSwanville: 2% of workers work hereMorrill: few work hereBelfast: 30% of workers work hereBrooksSwanvilleMorrillBelfastWaldo
10%+5–9%2–4%1%Under 1%

Average commute minutes, one way

Waldo20 min
Belfast22 min
Brooks25 min
Swanville26 min
Morrill29 min
Brooks3% of Waldo works hereSwanville2% of Waldo works hereMorrillunder 3% of WaldoBelfast30% of Waldo works here

Jobs & commute next door

TownWaldo workers thereJobs & incomeWalkabilityCommuteHousehold income
Waldo–——20 min$71,458
Brooks3%DB−25 min$59,130
Swanville2%D−B26 min$51,935
Morrillunder 3%C+C29 min$74,250
Belfast30%B−A−22 min$67,679

Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.

The biggest share goes to Belfast. Darker towns draw more of Waldo’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 Waldo: questions

What is the median household income in Waldo?

$71,458 (±$20,720) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Waldo?

10.4%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Waldo?

20 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Waldo work?

1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Belfast (30%, 4 mi), Bangor (8%, 29 mi), Rockland (4%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Waldo without a car?

4% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Waldo, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Waldo

Waldo home →
$1,150median rent
HousingLive where you work?Homes and rent in Waldo
20min commute
HandbookGetting around WaldoRoads, buses, parking and the basics
shortest commutes
RankingsTop towns in MEShortest commutes, work from home & more

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.