Photo: Brandon Peterman (Zyrshnikashnu at en.wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0Work, pay and getting to work in Tonawanda Town
The trip to work takes 21 minutes on average (New York 33, U.S. 26). About one in seven stay in Tonawanda Town for work; outside it, Buffalo is the main destination (26%, 6 miles). There are 26,664 jobs in Tonawanda Town; 27,197 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Tonawanda Town
Much of Tonawanda Town works one town over
48% of working residents work in a town that borders Tonawanda Town: Buffalo (26%), Amherst (20%) and Tonawanda (2%). Next door ↓
Tonawanda Town trades workers with the towns around it
Tonawanda Town has about as many jobs (26,664) as working residents (27,197), but they are mostly different people: 23,318 residents leave for work each day while 22,785 people come in. Only 15% of the jobs in Tonawanda Town are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Tonawanda Town 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 ↓
Most Tonawanda Town residents work close to home
75% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. 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.
How many people are in Tonawanda Town by day
On a workday 23,318 residents head out to work, 3,879 work right here, and 22,785 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 (0.98 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.
The trip to work from Tonawanda Town: about 21 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Tonawanda Town workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 26,023 commuters (the 14% 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 commute from Tonawanda Town, by distance
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.
Commuting out of Tonawanda Town: the destinations
Where Tonawanda Town clocks in
26% of workers
20% of workers
15% 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.
Goods, not services: 30% of the jobs in Tonawanda Town
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Tonawanda Town, 2014 → 2024: 29,645 → 26,664. 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 Tonawanda Town’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns next door employ 48% of Tonawanda Town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Tonawanda Town workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tonawanda Town | – | — | — | 21 min | $77,679 |
| Kenmore | under 2% | B | A | 19 min | $77,639 |
| Tonawanda | 2% | C+ | A− | 23 min | $58,326 |
| Grand Island | under 2% | A | C+ | 19 min | $115,991 |
| North Tonawanda | under 2% | B− | A− | 20 min | $66,961 |
| Amherst | 20% | A− | A− | 20 min | $93,483 |
| Buffalo | 26% | C− | A+ | 20 min | $50,041 |
| Grandyle Village | under 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Grandyle Village: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Buffalo. Darker towns draw more of Tonawanda Town’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 Tonawanda Town: questions
What is the median household income in Tonawanda Town?
$77,679 (±$3,002) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Tonawanda Town?
10.0%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Tonawanda Town?
21 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Tonawanda Town work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Buffalo (26%, 6 mi), Amherst (20%, 6 mi), Tonawanda (15%, 0 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Tonawanda Town without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Tonawanda Town, from the people who make the trip.
More of Tonawanda Town
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.