Whiteside, Barnett and Co. Agricultural Works · Photo: LtPowers · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in Sweden (2.7%) is lower than in 75% of U.S. towns
About one in seven work in Sweden itself; outside it, Rochester draws the most (20%, 16 miles). For jobs and income Sweden is better than 60% of U.S. towns (B); for walkability it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (A+). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 11.9 in Rochester.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Sweden, in a few figures
Sweden trades workers with the towns around it
Sweden has about as many jobs (5,712) as working residents (5,089), but they are mostly different people: 4,382 residents leave for work each day while 5,005 people come in. Only 12% of the jobs in Sweden are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Sweden 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. 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.
Jobs & income in Sweden: the grade in detail
Unemployment holds Sweden’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (15.6%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Sweden could be anywhere from B− to B+.
The daily commute in and out of Sweden
On a workday 4,382 residents head out to work, 707 work right here, and 5,005 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 (1.12 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.
Each way, about 21 minutes from Sweden
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sweden workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,999 commuters (the 11% 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.
Commuting out of Sweden: the destinations
Where Sweden clocks in
20% of workers
7% of workers
6% 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 kinds of work in Sweden
5,712 jobs are based in Sweden.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sweden, 2013 → 2023: 5,217 → 5,712. 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 Sweden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Sweden to work
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.
Sweden is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,730 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 83% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 34% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 58% 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). 6.7% of Sweden households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Sweden’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,188th of 2,227: where Sweden ranks among U.S. towns of 10,000 to 19,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Floral Park NY | 16,105 | $150K | 3.0% | 3.1% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 77 | East Rockaway NY | 10,096 | $125K | 2.6% | 3.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 79 | North Castle NY | 12,360 | $208K | 3.8% | 3.1% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,186 | Garden City ID | 13,047 | $70K | 12.0% | 3.4% | 8% | B |
| 1,187 | Pierre SD | 13,848 | $78K | 10.1% | 1.2% | 65% | B |
| 1,188 | Sweden NY | 14,099 | $76K | 15.6% | 2.7% | 14% | B |
| 1,189 | Lovejoy GA | 12,929 | $72K | 9.2% | 4.3% | 2% | B |
| 1,190 | Bargersville IN | 11,862 | $114K | 11.9% | 6.7% | 3% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,227 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Sweden, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Work in the towns next to Sweden
The biggest share goes to Ogden (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sweden workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | – | B | A+ | 21 min | $75,711 |
| Ogden | 4% | A | B− | 20 min | $91,563 |
| Clarkson | 2% | A− | B | 28 min | $83,286 |
| Bergen | under 2% | B | B | 21 min | $75,327 |
| Clarendon | under 2% | B− | D− | 32 min | $57,604 |
| Brockport | under 2% | B | A+ | 20 min | $69,866 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Sweden’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 Sweden: questions
What is the median household income in Sweden?
$75,711 (±$6,052) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sweden?
15.6%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sweden?
21 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sweden work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rochester (20%, 16 mi), Henrietta (7%, 17 mi), Greece (6%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Sweden walkable?
Sweden is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.3 out of 20, and 16% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Sweden without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 34% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sweden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sweden
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.