Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Washington top those of 79% of U.S. towns
6.7% of residents live below the poverty line (New York 14.0%). Jobs and income earn Washington B+; getting around on foot earns it A−. About one in seven work in Washington itself; outside it, New York City draws the most (16%, 79 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Washington: the gist
Washington’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Washington is New York City, 79 miles away as the crow flies. 16% of working residents (272) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Washington trades workers with the towns around it
Washington has about as many jobs (1,558) as working residents (1,732), but they are mostly different people: 1,472 residents leave for work each day while 1,298 people come in. Only 17% of the jobs in Washington are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
The four measures behind Washington’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Washington is better than 68% of U.S. towns, #269 of 758 in New York. Household income holds Washington’s grade up ($102,303, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 36% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Washington could be anywhere from C to A.
Where in the region Washington works
About 31% 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 and out of Washington on a workday
On a workday 1,472 residents head out to work, 260 work right here, and 1,298 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 (0.90 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.
The places Washington commutes to
Where Washington clocks in
16% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
Jobs in Washington: what the 1,558 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 1,686 → 1,558. 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 Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 30 minutes each way for Washington’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Washington workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,954 commuters (the 20% 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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Washington
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Washington is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #288 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 20.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 6.8.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,428 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). 9.3% of Washington households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Washington’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,862 U.S. towns of 3,200 to 6,100, Washington comes 1,292nd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Lloyd Harbor NY | 3,587 | $250K | 2.1% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Kings Point NY | 5,710 | $211K | 0.9% | 2.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | North Hills NY | 5,481 | $173K | 3.0% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,290 | Aldan PA | 4,253 | $75K | 8.9% | 4.4% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,291 | Fall Creek Township IN | 4,685 | $69K | 6.7% | 2.5% | 11% | B+ |
| 1,292 | Washington NY | 4,502 | $102K | 6.7% | 3.4% | 15% | B+ |
| 1,293 | Argyle NY | 3,645 | $83K | 4.5% | 2.5% | 11% | B+ |
| 1,294 | Little Britain Township PA | 4,169 | $87K | 5.4% | 3.0% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,862 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Washington, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Next door to Washington
The biggest share goes to Stanford (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | – | B+ | A− | 30 min | $102,303 |
| Amenia | 2% | C | B | 35 min | $76,426 |
| Stanford | 3% | B | B | 30 min | $88,578 |
| Union Vale | under 2% | A− | B− | 40 min | $102,888 |
| Pleasant Valley | 2% | B+ | B− | 33 min | $101,731 |
| Clinton | under 2% | A− | B+ | 36 min | $125,685 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Washington’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 Washington: questions
What is the median household income in Washington?
$102,303 (±$38,007) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Washington?
6.7%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Washington?
30 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Washington work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (16%, 79 mi), Poughkeepsie (7%, 15 mi), Poughkeepsie (5%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Washington walkable?
Washington is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 6.8 out of 20, and 21% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Washington without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Washington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Washington
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.