Photo: Mitchazenia · CC BY-SA 4.0Unemployment in Clarkson (1.5%) is lower than in 90% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Clarkson is better than 80% of U.S. towns (A−); for walkability it is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns (B). Only 3% stay in Clarkson for work; outside it, Rochester is the main destination (24%, 17 miles). 8% of workers work from home (New York 15%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Clarkson apart
Fewer jobs are based in Clarkson than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Clarkson fell from 1,351 in 2013 to 960 in 2023, −29%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Clarkson is a place people come home to
There are 960 jobs based in Clarkson, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Clarkson has about 4,600 people in it, 33% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Clarkson are quick
The average trip to work takes 28 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York 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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Clarkson
Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($83,286, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Clarkson could be anywhere from B− to A+.
What the 960 jobs in Clarkson are
960 jobs are based in Clarkson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Clarkson, 2013 → 2023: 1,351 → 960. 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 Clarkson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Clarkson on a workday
On a workday 3,092 residents head out to work, 111 work right here, and 849 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,600 people are in Clarkson on a workday afternoon, 33% fewer than live here.
0.30 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.
Time on the road from Clarkson: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Clarkson workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,001 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The towns that employ Clarkson’s residents
Where Clarkson clocks in
24% of workers
8% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Clarkson
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.
Driving is how Clarkson gets around
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 6.4.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,277 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 22% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 65% 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). 6.3% of Clarkson households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Clarkson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Clarkson is 774th among 3,168 U.S. towns of 4,800 to 9,200
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Lawrence NY | 6,847 | $170K | 3.5% | 3.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Irvington NY | 6,533 | $173K | 1.6% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| 16 | Kings Point NY | 5,710 | $211K | 0.9% | 2.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 772 | Kenilworth NJ | 8,602 | $119K | 6.4% | 6.3% | 7% | A− |
| 773 | Hampden MA | 4,960 | $105K | 3.8% | 5.0% | 8% | A− |
| 774 | Clarkson NY | 6,831 | $83K | 7.8% | 1.5% | 3% | A− |
| 775 | Perry Township OH | 8,835 | $104K | 6.2% | 3.4% | 12% | A− |
| 776 | Dickinson Township PA | 5,519 | $105K | 3.3% | 4.3% | 3% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,168 | 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.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Clarkson, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
12% of Clarkson works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Sweden (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Clarkson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkson | – | A− | B | 28 min | $83,286 |
| Sweden | 9% | B | A+ | 21 min | $75,711 |
| Hamlin | under 3% | C+ | D | 28 min | $83,510 |
| Murray | under 3% | C+ | C− | 26 min | $65,077 |
| Parma | 3% | B+ | B− | 22 min | $93,558 |
| Brockport | under 3% | B | A+ | 20 min | $69,866 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Clarkson’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 Clarkson: questions
What is the median household income in Clarkson?
$83,286 (±$14,862) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Clarkson?
7.8%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Clarkson?
28 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Clarkson work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rochester (24%, 17 mi), Sweden (9%, 5 mi), Greece (8%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Clarkson walkable?
Clarkson is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Clarkson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Clarkson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Clarkson
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.