Most of Washington commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
Washington has 132 jobs; 596 of its residents have a job. The two grades for Washington are D for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Only 2% work in Washington; the top destination outside it is Rockland (12%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Washington in brief
Washington is a place people come home to
There are 132 jobs based in Washington, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Washington has about 1,100 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Washington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 54 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 596 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Washington
On income, poverty and job access, Washington is better than 13% of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Washington’s grade.
Unemployment (1.3%) is left out: Washington’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Washington could be anywhere from D− to C+.
The workday shuffle in and out of Washington
On a workday 582 residents head out to work, 14 work right here, and 118 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Washington on a workday afternoon, 30% 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.
Getting to work from Washington takes about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Washington workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 716 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.
Where Washington’s working residents head each day
Where Washington clocks in
12% 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.
In Washington, 36% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 99 → 132. 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 Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Washington
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.
Most of Washington commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Washington is more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Washington near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 838 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). 3.9% of Washington households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Washington’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Washington is 4,598th of 5,794 U.S. towns of 1,100 to 2,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 516 | Ogunquit ME | 1,606 | $114K | 3.2% | 0.0% | 22% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 558 | Pownal ME | 1,645 | $104K | 5.5% | 0.7% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 607 | Newcastle ME | 1,915 | $90K | 3.5% | 0.0% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,596 | Walnut Cove NC | 1,609 | $45K | 18.4% | 4.4% | 5% | D |
| 4,597 | Graysville TN | 1,506 | $40K | 23.7% | 14.1% | <1% | D |
| 4,598 | Washington ME | 1,562 | $60K | 15.3% | 1.3% | 2% | D |
| 4,599 | Tawas Township MI | 1,737 | $60K | 12.5% | 3.4% | 10% | D |
| 4,600 | Moreland ID | 1,326 | $61K | 19.7% | 0.0% | 1% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 5,794 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Washington, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
Work in the towns next to Washington
The biggest share goes to Union (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | – | D | C− | 32 min | $59,861 |
| Union | 7% | C+ | B− | 29 min | $80,724 |
| Somerville | under 3% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Palermo | under 3% | B− | C | 31 min | $89,095 |
| Liberty | under 3% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| Jefferson | under 3% | B− | C+ | 30 min | $85,078 |
Same-state neighbors only. Somerville and Liberty: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Washington’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 Washington: questions
What is the median household income in Washington?
$59,861 (±$16,755) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Washington?
15.3%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Washington?
32 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Washington work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rockland (12%, 16 mi), Augusta (8%, 18 mi), Rockport (7%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Washington walkable?
Washington is more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.3 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Washington without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Washington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Washington
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.