Photo: Jim.henderson · Public domainAt 9.3%, unemployment in Mount Vernon is higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
9% of workers have no commute at all; New York has 15%. The two grades for Mount Vernon are B− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. About one in ten stay in Mount Vernon for work; outside it, New York City is the main destination (49%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Mount Vernon in brief
How Mount Vernon earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Mount Vernon is better than 47% of U.S. towns, #436 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds Mount Vernon’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Mount Vernon could be anywhere from C+ to B−.
Mount Vernon on a workday afternoon
On a workday 25,669 residents head out to work, 2,584 work right here, and 15,749 people come in from elsewhere.
About 62,000 people are in Mount Vernon on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.65 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.
Where people from Mount Vernon work
Where Mount Vernon clocks in
49% of workers
5% 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.
65% of the jobs in Mount Vernon pay over $3,333 a month
18,333 jobs are based in Mount Vernon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Mount Vernon, 2013 → 2023: 19,224 → 18,333. 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 Mount Vernon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 35 minutes from Mount Vernon
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Mount Vernon workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 31,499 commuters (the 9% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Mount Vernon
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.
Mount Vernon is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Mount Vernon is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #34 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Mount Vernon 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 34,506 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 87% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 31.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 33.0% of Mount Vernon households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 28% of Mount Vernon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 51,000 to 98,000, Mount Vernon ranks 426th of 599 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Greenburgh NY | 94,537 | $152K | 5.8% | 5.2% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 140 | Colonie NY | 86,837 | $102K | 7.3% | 3.2% | 25% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 154 | Clarkstown NY | 89,659 | $137K | 6.5% | 5.8% | 19% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 424 | Tamarac FL | 74,134 | $62K | 13.0% | 5.2% | 4% | B− |
| 425 | Pike Township IN | 84,515 | $69K | 14.2% | 5.7% | 17% | B− |
| 426 | Mount Vernon NY | 72,304 | $79K | 14.7% | 9.3% | 9% | B− |
| 427 | Longview TX | 83,236 | $63K | 17.3% | 3.1% | 45% | B− |
| 428 | Lodi CA | 69,100 | $89K | 12.4% | 8.9% | 22% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 599 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Mount Vernon, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bordering towns draw 59% of Mount Vernon’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Mount Vernon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | – | B− | A+ | 35 min | $78,779 |
| Yonkers | 5% | B− | A+ | 36 min | $83,549 |
| Pelham | under 2% | A | A+ | 38 min | $210,813 |
| Pelham | under 2% | A | A+ | 38 min | $184,375 |
| New York | 49% | B− | A+ | 40 min | $80,483 |
| Pelham Manor | under 2% | A | A+ | 39 min | $250,000+ |
| Eastchester | 2% | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $155,726 |
| Bronxville | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 41 min | $215,815 |
| New Rochelle | 3% | B+ | A+ | 33 min | $109,167 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to New York. Darker towns draw more of Mount Vernon’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 Mount Vernon: questions
What is the median household income in Mount Vernon?
$78,779 (±$4,023) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Mount Vernon?
14.7%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Mount Vernon?
35 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Mount Vernon work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (49%, 18 mi), Yonkers (5%, 3 mi), White Plains (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Mount Vernon walkable?
Mount Vernon is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.0 out of 20, and 34% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Mount Vernon without a car?
28% of commuters take transit and 33% of households have no car. 87% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Mount Vernon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Mount Vernon
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.