Pender County Courthouse · Photo: Indy beetle · CC0At 8.5%, unemployment in Burgaw is higher than in 90% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Burgaw are D for jobs and income and C for walkability. About one in seven work in Burgaw itself; outside it, Wilmington draws the most (24%, 24 miles). Working residents average 27 minutes each way; North Carolina averages 25, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Burgaw stands out on work
Burgaw is where the jobs are
Burgaw has 2,868 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 5,500 people are in town, 40% more than the 3,900 who live here. Day and night ↓
Burgaw’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Burgaw is Wilmington, 24 miles away as the crow flies. 24% of working residents (310) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The biggest group of Burgaw’s workers comes from Wilmington
166 of the people who work in Burgaw live in Wilmington, 24 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
A big share show a job far from home
32% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
Why Burgaw gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Burgaw is better than 10% of U.S. towns, #264 of 290 in North Carolina. Household income holds Burgaw’s grade up ($67,853, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Burgaw could be anywhere from D− to B−.
How a workday changes Burgaw
On a workday 1,142 residents head out to work, 161 work right here, and 2,707 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,500 people are in Burgaw on a workday afternoon, 40% more than live here.
2.2 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 Burgaw
About 32% 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.
Where Burgaw’s workforce comes from
Where Burgaw clocks in
24% of workers
3% of workers
3% 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.
What work there is in Burgaw: 2,868 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burgaw, 2013 → 2023: 2,863 → 2,868. 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 Burgaw’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Burgaw: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burgaw workers work from home, vs 16% across North Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,048 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across North Carolina: 85% 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.
Getting around Burgaw: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Burgaw is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #190 of 290 in North Carolina. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.9% across North Carolina.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,169 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). 4.7% of Burgaw households have no vehicle (North Carolina 5.3%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Burgaw’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Burgaw compares with U.S. towns of 2,700 to 5,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 86 | Jamestown NC | 3,803 | $105K | 2.5% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 127 | Avery Creek NC | 2,887 | $113K | 1.4% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 192 | Fairview NC | 3,805 | $99K | 1.8% | 1.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,976 | New Lexington OH | 4,465 | $44K | 27.4% | 5.4% | 21% | D |
| 3,977 | Fulton MS | 4,640 | $53K | 18.7% | 7.9% | 28% | D |
| 3,978 | Burgaw NC | 3,903 | $68K | 19.7% | 8.5% | 12% | D |
| 3,979 | Lewisburg WV | 3,721 | $50K | 28.0% | 5.3% | 26% | D |
| 3,980 | Denning Township IL | 4,628 | $53K | 23.5% | 9.3% | 12% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 4,364 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Burgaw, the top three, the last and three more from North Carolina.
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 Burgaw: questions
What is the median household income in Burgaw?
$67,853 (±$17,745) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,388 across North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burgaw?
19.7%, against 13.0% across North Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burgaw?
27 minutes each way on average, against 25 across North Carolina and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burgaw work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wilmington (24%, 24 mi), Raleigh (3%, 97 mi), Fayetteville (3%, 70 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Burgaw walkable?
Burgaw is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.2 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Burgaw without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Burgaw, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burgaw
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.