Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Unemployment in Affton (1.5%) is lower than in 90% of U.S. towns
Working residents average 24 minutes each way, about the same as across Missouri. For jobs and income Affton is better than 89% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (B+). Only 2% stay in Affton for work; outside it, St. Louis is the main destination (23%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Affton
Affton and St. Louis trade workers both ways
St. Louis is the top workplace for Affton residents (23%) and also where the most people who work in Affton come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most Affton residents work close to home
64% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. Only 6% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Affton empties out on a workday
About 13,000 people are in Affton on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than the 19,000 who live here: 9,400 head out to work and 3,600 come in. Day and night ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Affton
Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($79,539, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Affton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
The towns that employ Affton’s residents
Where Affton clocks in
23% of workers
4% 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.
How far it is to work from Affton
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.
Who leaves Affton for work, and who comes in
On a workday 9,358 residents head out to work, 219 work right here, and 3,586 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in Affton on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.40 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
32% of the jobs in Affton make or build things
3,805 jobs are based in Affton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Affton, 2013 → 2023: 4,290 → 3,805. 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 Affton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Affton: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Affton workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,789 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% 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.
Most of Affton commutes by car
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.2% across Missouri.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 11,078 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 41% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 55% 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). 3.7% of Affton households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Affton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Affton places 399th of 2,023 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 13,000 to 26,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Dardenne Prairie MO | 15,032 | $153K | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 169 | Creve Coeur MO | 18,480 | $127K | 6.1% | 2.6% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 235 | Webster Groves MO | 23,450 | $115K | 4.2% | 3.7% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 397 | Madison NJ | 16,607 | $171K | 3.2% | 6.3% | 9% | A |
| 398 | Blackberry Township IL | 17,903 | $156K | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4% | A |
| 399 | Affton MO | 19,052 | $80K | 6.6% | 1.5% | 2% | A |
| 400 | Washington Township NJ | 18,309 | $166K | 2.5% | 4.7% | 8% | A |
| 401 | Caln Township PA | 15,287 | $100K | 4.8% | 3.1% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,023 | 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 Affton, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
Affton and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Affton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affton | – | A | B+ | 24 min | $79,539 |
| St. George | under 2% | B+ | C− | 26 min | $68,091 |
| Marlborough | under 2% | A− | A | 24 min | $50,300 |
| Lakeshire | under 2% | B | B+ | 28 min | $62,115 |
| Green Park | under 2% | A | B+ | 23 min | $79,141 |
| Concord | under 2% | A | B+ | 24 min | $89,038 |
| Grantwood Village | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Crestwood | under 2% | A+ | B | 20 min | $107,169 |
| Lemay | under 2% | B | A− | 24 min | $60,399 |
| Mehlville | under 2% | A− | B | 23 min | $67,071 |
Same-state neighbors only. Grantwood Village: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Affton’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 Affton: questions
What is the median household income in Affton?
$79,539 (±$6,610) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Affton?
6.6%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Affton?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Affton work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Louis (23%, 7 mi), Maryland Heights (4%, 14 mi), Creve Coeur (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Affton walkable?
Affton is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 10.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Affton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Affton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Affton
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.