Photo: cappi thompson from Gorham, New Hampshire, USA · CC BY 2.0Laconia has lower unemployment (3.1%) than 68% of U.S. towns
About one in four work in Laconia; the top destination outside it is Concord (10%, 24 miles). Jobs and income earn Laconia B−; getting around on foot earns it B+. A typical one-way commute lasts 17 minutes, next to 27 for New Hampshire and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Laconia apart
Commutes from Laconia are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 27 across New Hampshire. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical New Hampshire worker, and quicker than any town next door (22 to 31 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Laconia trades workers with the towns around it
Laconia has about as many jobs (8,534) as working residents (7,835), but they are mostly different people: 5,628 residents leave for work each day while 6,327 people come in. Only 26% of the jobs in Laconia are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Laconia’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Laconia is Concord, 24 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (757) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Laconia’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Laconia is better than 47% of U.S. towns, #105 of 126 in New Hampshire. Unemployment holds Laconia’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (12.6%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Laconia could be anywhere from C to B+.
Time on the road from Laconia: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Laconia workers work from home, vs 17% across New Hampshire. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,603 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across New Hampshire: 87% 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.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 5,628 residents head out to work, 2,207 work right here, and 6,327 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.09 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where in the region Laconia works
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Where Laconia goes to work
Where Laconia clocks in
10% of workers
6% 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.
69% of the jobs in Laconia pay over $3,333 a month
8,534 jobs are based in Laconia.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Laconia, 2014 → 2024: 8,528 → 8,534. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Laconia’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting around Laconia: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Laconia is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns, #33 of 126 in New Hampshire. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.6% across New Hampshire.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,791 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). 6.6% of Laconia households have no vehicle (New Hampshire 4.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Laconia’s commuters take a bus or train.
Laconia is 1,325th of 1,999 U.S. towns of 12,000 to 23,000 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 237 | Hooksett NH | 15,346 | $118K | 3.3% | 2.5% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 244 | Goffstown NH | 18,607 | $114K | 6.4% | 0.8% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 266 | Durham NH | 15,346 | $124K | 15.1% | 4.3% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,323 | Seymour IN | 22,450 | $64K | 15.5% | 2.3% | 38% | B− |
| 1,324 | Woodhaven MI | 12,503 | $79K | 13.0% | 7.2% | 5% | B− |
| 1,325 | Laconia NH | 17,246 | $73K | 12.6% | 3.1% | 28% | B− |
| 1,326 | Port Hueneme CA | 20,987 | $93K | 11.4% | 10.1% | 4% | B− |
| 1,327 | Portland TN | 13,658 | $73K | 11.2% | 4.9% | 16% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,999 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 Laconia, the top three, the last and three more from New Hampshire.
Work next door: 14% of Laconia’s workers
The biggest share goes to Gilford (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Laconia workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laconia | – | B− | B+ | 17 min | $73,218 |
| Meredith | 4% | B− | A− | 26 min | $87,019 |
| Gilford | 6% | A− | C− | 22 min | $116,635 |
| Belmont | 4% | B− | B− | 25 min | $69,063 |
| Sanbornton | under 2% | B+ | C | 31 min | $113,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Laconia’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 2024, 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 Laconia: questions
What is the median household income in Laconia?
$73,218 (±$11,507) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,031 across New Hampshire and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Laconia?
12.6%, against 7.2% across New Hampshire and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Laconia?
17 minutes each way on average, against 27 across New Hampshire and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Laconia work?
28% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Concord (10%, 24 mi), Gilford (6%, 7 mi), Meredith (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Laconia walkable?
Laconia is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Laconia without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Laconia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Laconia
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.