Photo: Lightmetro · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Clayton are higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
23% of workers work from home (Missouri 13%). The poverty rate is 8.0%; Missouri has 12.6%. For jobs and income Clayton is better than 88% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is among the most walkable U.S. towns (A+).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Clayton, in brief
Clayton fills up on a workday
Clayton has 37,658 jobs, 6.8 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 50,000 people are in town, more than double the 18,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most Clayton residents work close to home
76% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. How far ↓
Clayton draws workers from far and wide
The 37,658 jobs in Clayton are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 30%; the other 68% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Clayton is services
93% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 5% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Most jobs in Clayton pay over $40,000 a year
78% of the jobs based in Clayton 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.
Clayton’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.6%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Clayton could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Clayton’s population more than doubles on a workday
On a workday 4,801 residents head out to work, 713 work right here, and 36,945 people come in from elsewhere.
About 50,000 people are in Clayton on a workday afternoon, 181% more than live here.
6.8 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.
How far it is to work from Clayton
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.
Where Clayton’s workers come from
Where Clayton clocks in
27% of workers
5% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Clayton
37,658 jobs are based in Clayton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Clayton, 2013 → 2023: 34,571 → 37,658. 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 Clayton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Clayton: about 17 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Clayton workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,791 commuters (the 23% 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.
Clayton is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Clayton is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #1 of 247 in Missouri. Both inputs place Clayton 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 7,561 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 45% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 10.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% 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). 4.9% of Clayton households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Clayton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 2,103 U.S. towns of 12,000 to 24,000, Clayton comes 427th on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Dardenne Prairie MO | 15,032 | $153K | 1.3% | 1.6% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 108 | Crestwood MO | 12,207 | $107K | 5.5% | 1.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 164 | Creve Coeur MO | 18,480 | $127K | 6.1% | 2.6% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 425 | Bruno Township KS | 19,221 | $103K | 5.3% | 2.8% | 10% | A |
| 426 | Robbinsville Township NJ | 15,958 | $169K | 3.8% | 5.3% | 6% | A |
| 427 | Clayton MO | 17,807 | $123K | 8.0% | 3.6% | 13% | A |
| 428 | Lumberton TX | 14,123 | $108K | 3.7% | 2.5% | 12% | A |
| 429 | Oconomowoc WI | 20,119 | $106K | 7.7% | 2.2% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,103 | 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 Clayton, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
29% of Clayton works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to St. Louis (27%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Clayton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton | – | A | A+ | 17 min | $123,000 |
| University City | under 2% | B | A+ | 22 min | $80,694 |
| Richmond Heights | 2% | A | A− | 18 min | $94,460 |
| St. Louis | 27% | C+ | A+ | 22 min | $56,160 |
| Ladue | under 2% | A+ | B− | 14 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Clayton’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 Clayton: questions
What is the median household income in Clayton?
$123,000 (±$12,353) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Clayton?
8.0%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Clayton?
17 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Clayton work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Louis (27%, 5 mi), Creve Coeur (5%, 6 mi), Maryland Heights (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Clayton walkable?
Clayton is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.4 out of 20, and 17% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Clayton without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 45% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Clayton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Clayton
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.