Most of Waltham commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
Hardly any work in Waltham itself; outside it, Ellsworth draws the most (23%, 10 miles). 22 jobs are based in Waltham for 160 working residents. Working residents average 41 minutes each way, next to 25 for Maine and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Waltham on a workday afternoon
On a workday 160 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 22 people come in from elsewhere.
About 210 people are in Waltham on a workday afternoon, 40% fewer than live here.
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 Waltham’s working residents head each day
Where Waltham clocks in
23% of workers
8% of workers
6% 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.
77% of the jobs in Waltham make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Waltham, 2013 → 2023: 30 → 22. 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 Waltham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Waltham: about 41 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Waltham workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 136 commuters (the 13% 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.
Where in the region Waltham works
About 18% 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.
Work in the towns next to Waltham
The biggest share goes to Eastbrook (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Waltham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waltham | – | — | — | 41 min | $71,071 |
| Mariaville | 2% | — | — | 37 min | — |
| Eastbrook | 4% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Osborn | under 2% | — | — | 40 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Mariaville, Eastbrook and Osborn: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Waltham’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 Waltham: questions
What is the median household income in Waltham?
$71,071 (±$14,409) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Waltham?
19.7%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Waltham?
41 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Waltham work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ellsworth (23%, 10 mi), Bangor (8%, 26 mi), Bar Harbor (6%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Waltham without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Waltham, from the people who make the trip.
More of Waltham
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.