Berkeley’s household incomes are lower than in 93% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income C: better than 26% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #165 of 247 in Missouri.
Walkability A: more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns · #15 of 247 in Missouri.
Working residents average 21 minutes each way (Missouri 24, U.S. 26). Only 4% work in Berkeley; the top destination outside it is St. Louis (17%, 9 miles).
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 5.7 transit trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 10.8 in St. Louis (EPA, 2020 schedules).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Berkeley
Berkeley fills up on a workday
Berkeley has 22,985 jobs, 6.9 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 28,000 people are in town, 3 times the 8,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
The jobs in Berkeley pay better than its residents’ jobs
90% of the jobs based in Berkeley pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 42% of the jobs Berkeley residents hold. 99% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Berkeley. The jobs ↓
Berkeley makes and builds things
78% of the jobs based in Berkeley are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Berkeley residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 11%. The jobs ↓
Jobs in Berkeley have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Berkeley went from 7,537 in 2013 to 22,985 in 2023, +205%. The jobs ↓
Berkeley draws workers from far and wide
The 22,985 jobs in Berkeley are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 36%; the other 63% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What’s behind Berkeley’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Berkeley is better than 26% of U.S. towns, #165 of 247 in Missouri. Job access by car holds Berkeley’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (35.1%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Berkeley could be anywhere from C− to B.
Berkeley’s population more than triples on a workday
On a workday 3,196 residents head out to work, 134 work right here, and 22,851 people come in from elsewhere.
About 28,000 people are in Berkeley on a workday afternoon, 245% more than live here.
6.9 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.
Berkeley makes things: 78% of its jobs are in goods
22,985 jobs are based in Berkeley. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Berkeley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Berkeley, 2013 → 2023: 7,537 → 22,985. 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.
Where Berkeley’s workers come from
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Berkeley clocks in
17% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
About 21 minutes each way, quicker than most of Missouri
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Berkeley workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,668 commuters (the 20% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Half of Berkeley commutes less than 8 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Berkeley is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Berkeley is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns, #15 of 247 in Missouri. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, above 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 3,338 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 28% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 86% 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). 16.3% of Berkeley households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Berkeley’s commuters take a bus or train.
Berkeley is 2,414th of 3,015 U.S. towns of 5,600 to 10,800 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Berkeley, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,412 | Richmond MI | 5,927 | $65K | 13.5% | 11.5% | 8% | C |
| 2,413 | Patoka Township IN | 7,909 | $70K | 15.4% | 6.2% | 24% | C |
| 2,414 | Berkeley MO | 8,026 | $44K | 35.1% | 5.7% | 4% | C |
| 2,415 | Jefferson City TN | 9,103 | $61K | 19.0% | 6.1% | 14% | C |
| 2,416 | Camden SC | 9,201 | $64K | 13.2% | 8.2% | 17% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,015 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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.
Berkeley and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Hazelwood (4%). Darker towns draw more of Berkeley’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Berkeley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | – | C | A | 21 min | $44,265 |
| Kinloch | under 3% | — | — | 45 min | — |
| Hazelwood | 4% | C | A− | 27 min | $55,908 |
| Woodson Terrace | under 3% | C+ | B | 20 min | $47,417 |
| St. John | under 3% | C+ | B+ | 23 min | $53,755 |
| Ferguson | under 3% | C | A+ | 24 min | $47,524 |
| Bel-Ridge | under 3% | C− | A+ | 27 min | $38,049 |
| Cool Valley | under 3% | C | A | 17 min | $53,560 |
Same-state neighbors only. Kinloch: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Berkeley: questions
What is the median household income in Berkeley?
$44,265 (±$10,106) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Berkeley?
35.1%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Berkeley?
21 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Berkeley work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Louis (17%, 9 mi), Maryland Heights (6%, 8 mi), Creve Coeur (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Berkeley walkable?
Berkeley is more walkable than 88% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.3 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Berkeley without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. 28% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Berkeley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Berkeley
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.