Photo: Pubdog · Public domainGowanda’s household incomes are lower than in 86% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Gowanda is better than 25% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (A). 16.9% of residents are in poverty (New York 14.0%). Working from home is the commute for 3% of workers; New York has 15%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Gowanda, in brief
A lot of Gowanda works one town over
28% of working residents work in a town that borders Gowanda: Collins (12%), Persia (11%) and Perrysburg (5%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Gowanda are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 92 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker, and quicker than any town next door (24 to 27 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Gowanda than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Gowanda fell from 1,648 in 2013 to 953 in 2023, −42%. 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 ↓
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; with 930 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Jobs & income in Gowanda: the grade in detail
Unemployment holds Gowanda’s grade up (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($51,828, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Gowanda could be anywhere from D to C+.
The trip to work from Gowanda: about 21 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gowanda workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 922 commuters (the 3% 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 953 jobs based in Gowanda
953 jobs are based in Gowanda.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gowanda, 2013 → 2023: 1,648 → 953. 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 Gowanda’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Gowanda on a workday
On a workday 774 residents head out to work, 156 work right here, and 797 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 (1.02 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
12% of working residents work in Collins
Where Gowanda clocks in
11% 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.
The distance from Gowanda to work
About 16% 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 Gowanda, walking beats the bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 953 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 11.4% of Gowanda households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Gowanda’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Gowanda is 3,701st among 5,207 U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Atlantic Beach NY | 1,723 | $166K | 1.8% | 3.1% | 3% | A+ |
| 7 | Village of the Branch NY | 1,764 | $174K | 1.5% | 3.1% | 2% | A+ |
| 8 | Old Brookville NY | 2,098 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,699 | South Shenango Township PA | 1,819 | $67K | 12.7% | 2.8% | 7% | C− |
| 3,700 | Lacon IL | 1,822 | $63K | 14.8% | 5.3% | 12% | C− |
| 3,701 | Gowanda NY | 2,444 | $52K | 16.9% | 3.2% | 17% | C− |
| 3,702 | Lake Township IN | 2,461 | $83K | 31.9% | 2.1% | 2% | C− |
| 3,703 | Washington Township OH | 2,072 | $67K | 14.4% | 0.9% | 0% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,207 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Gowanda, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Next door is work for 28% of Gowanda
The biggest share goes to Collins (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gowanda workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gowanda | – | C− | A | 21 min | $51,828 |
| Persia | 11% | D | B+ | 27 min | $54,495 |
| Collins | 12% | C | C | 24 min | $60,905 |
| Perrysburg | 5% | C− | C+ | 25 min | $62,333 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gowanda’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 Gowanda: questions
What is the median household income in Gowanda?
$51,828 (±$2,169) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gowanda?
16.9%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gowanda?
21 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gowanda work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Collins (12%, 4 mi), Persia (11%, 3 mi), Perrysburg (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Gowanda walkable?
Gowanda is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Gowanda without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gowanda, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gowanda
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.