Zion Episcopal Church · Photo: Tradewinds · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in River Road have lower incomes than those in 92% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 22.3% of residents; North Carolina has 13.0%. Jobs and income earn River Road C−; getting around on foot earns it C−. 8% of workers have no commute at all; North Carolina has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in River Road, in a few figures
River Road is a place people come home to
There are 259 jobs based in River Road, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday River Road has about 1,900 people in it, 42% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
River Road and Washington trade workers both ways
Washington is the top workplace for River Road residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in River Road come from (10% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from River Road are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 25 across North Carolina. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical North Carolina worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
River Road’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Road is better than 20% of U.S. towns, #226 of 290 in North Carolina. Unemployment holds River Road’s grade up (2.5%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($46,352, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, River Road could be anywhere from D− to C+.
River Road on a workday afternoon
On a workday 1,624 residents head out to work, 52 work right here, and 207 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in River Road on a workday afternoon, 42% fewer than live here.
0.15 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.
24% of working residents work in Washington
Where River Road clocks in
14% 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.
Each way, about 19 minutes from River Road
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Road workers work from home, vs 16% across North Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,567 commuters (the 8% 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.
The 259 jobs based in River Road
259 jobs are based in River Road.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Road, 2013 → 2023: 209 → 259. 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 River Road’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from River Road
About 27% 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.
In River Road, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Road is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns, #235 of 290 in North Carolina. Both inputs place River Road 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 1,707 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). 3.2% of River Road households have no vehicle (North Carolina 5.3%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of River Road’s commuters take a bus or train.
River Road next to U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,500: 3,447th of 4,269 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 84 | Jamestown NC | 3,803 | $105K | 2.5% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 121 | Avery Creek NC | 2,887 | $113K | 1.4% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 185 | Fairview NC | 3,805 | $99K | 1.8% | 1.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,445 | Mount Pleasant UT | 4,018 | $69K | 19.7% | 4.0% | 22% | C− |
| 3,446 | Jackson Township OH | 2,420 | $55K | 14.9% | 5.4% | 6% | C− |
| 3,447 | River Road NC | 3,366 | $46K | 22.3% | 2.5% | 3% | C− |
| 3,448 | Cleveland OK | 3,271 | $55K | 20.3% | 4.6% | 19% | C− |
| 3,449 | Portville NY | 3,359 | $66K | 10.4% | 7.6% | 12% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,269 | 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 River Road, the top three, the last and three more from North Carolina.
River Road and the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Road workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Road | – | C− | C− | 19 min | $46,352 |
| Washington Park | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Washington Park: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Road’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 River Road: questions
What is the median household income in River Road?
$46,352 (±$11,566) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,388 across North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Road?
22.3%, against 13.0% across North Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Road?
19 minutes each way on average, against 25 across North Carolina and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Road work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (24%, 5 mi), Greenville (14%, 23 mi), Raleigh (3%, 96 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Road walkable?
River Road is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.4 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Road without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Road, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Road
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.