Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0Westbrook has lower unemployment (2.2%) than 82% of U.S. towns
About one in seven stay in Westbrook for work; outside it, Portland is the main destination (32%, 10 miles). Jobs and income earn Westbrook A−; getting around on foot earns it A−. Commuters spend 19 minutes getting to work on average; Maine averages 25, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Westbrook apart on work
Much of Westbrook works one town over
47% of working residents work in a town that borders Westbrook: Portland (32%), Scarborough (7%) and Falmouth (3%). Next door ↓
Most Westbrook residents work close to home
75% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. Only 8% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Westbrook is where the jobs are
Westbrook has 16,674 jobs, 1.7 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Westbrook are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 25 across Maine. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Maine worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in Westbrook pay over $40,000 a year
73% of the jobs based in Westbrook 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.
Inside Westbrook’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westbrook is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #16 of 143 in Maine. Unemployment is its strongest input; the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (8.0%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westbrook could be anywhere from B+ to A.
The distance from Westbrook to work
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.
In and out of Westbrook on a workday
On a workday 8,425 residents head out to work, 1,663 work right here, and 15,011 people come in from elsewhere.
About 28,000 people are in Westbrook on a workday afternoon, 31% more than live here.
1.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Westbrook’s commute takes about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westbrook workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,218 commuters (the 18% 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.
73% of the jobs in Westbrook pay over $3,333 a month
16,674 jobs are based in Westbrook.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westbrook, 2013 → 2023: 12,079 → 16,674. 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 Westbrook’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who travels to work in Westbrook, and from where
Where Westbrook clocks in
32% of workers
11% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Westbrook
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westbrook is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns, #11 of 143 in Maine. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.0% across Maine.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,426 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 91% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 33% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 88% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 6.0% of Westbrook households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Westbrook’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Westbrook is 607th among 1,787 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 29,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 177 | Scarborough ME | 24,547 | $134K | 4.4% | 2.2% | 19% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 210 | Windham ME | 19,912 | $108K | 3.4% | 1.5% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 299 | Gorham ME | 19,239 | $112K | 3.7% | 2.6% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 605 | West Deptford Township NJ | 22,681 | $94K | 6.9% | 4.4% | 10% | A− |
| 606 | Ballenger Creek MD | 26,390 | $109K | 10.3% | 2.7% | 11% | A− |
| 607 | Westbrook ME | 21,565 | $85K | 8.0% | 2.2% | 16% | A− |
| 608 | Amesbury MA | 17,588 | $104K | 7.1% | 3.6% | 12% | A− |
| 609 | Tallmadge OH | 18,521 | $89K | 5.0% | 4.1% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,787 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Westbrook, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
Work next door: 47% of Westbrook’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westbrook workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westbrook | – | A− | A− | 19 min | $85,038 |
| Portland | 32% | B | A+ | 19 min | $79,540 |
| Falmouth | 3% | A+ | C+ | 23 min | $150,919 |
| Gorham | 3% | A | A− | 27 min | $112,312 |
| Windham | 2% | A | B | 26 min | $107,934 |
| Scarborough | 7% | A | B | 19 min | $133,558 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Portland. Darker towns draw more of Westbrook’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 Westbrook: questions
What is the median household income in Westbrook?
$85,038 (±$6,523) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westbrook?
8.0%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westbrook?
19 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westbrook work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (32%, 10 mi), South Portland (11%, 6 mi), Scarborough (7%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westbrook walkable?
Westbrook is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.0 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westbrook without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 33% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westbrook, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westbrook
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.