Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0Jobs and the daily commute in West Seneca
Commuters spend 23 minutes getting to work on average; New York averages 33, the U.S. 26. Jobs and income earn West Seneca B+; getting around on foot earns it B. About one in seven stay in West Seneca for work; outside it, Buffalo is the main destination (25%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in West Seneca, in brief
A lot of West Seneca works one town over
40% of working residents work in a town that borders West Seneca: Buffalo (25%), Cheektowaga (10%) and Orchard Park (5%). Next door ↓
Commutes from West Seneca are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Most West Seneca residents work close to home
68% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. 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 West Seneca’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Seneca is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #295 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds West Seneca’s grade up (ahead of 85% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Seneca could be anywhere from B− to A−.
West Seneca’s commute takes about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Seneca workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 20,593 commuters (the 10% 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.
How many miles West Seneca commutes
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.
How many people are in West Seneca by day
On a workday 19,373 residents head out to work, 2,647 work right here, and 14,397 people come in from elsewhere.
About 40,000 people are in West Seneca on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 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.
Commuting out of West Seneca: the destinations
Where West Seneca clocks in
25% of workers
12% 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.
Inside West Seneca’s 17,044 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Seneca, 2013 → 2023: 19,352 → 17,044. 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 West Seneca’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute in West Seneca is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Seneca is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns, #402 of 758 in New York. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 32.9% across New York.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 22,936 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 77% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 30% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 72% 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). 7.5% of West Seneca households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of West Seneca’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, West Seneca is 511th of 953 U.S. towns of 32,000 to 61,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Eastchester NY | 34,015 | $156K | 4.8% | 2.6% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Clifton Park NY | 37,775 | $133K | 2.3% | 2.0% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Valley Stream NY | 40,379 | $133K | 5.5% | 2.8% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 509 | Merritt Island FL | 34,992 | $94K | 7.4% | 4.1% | 10% | B+ |
| 510 | Vineyard CA | 43,751 | $105K | 11.6% | 5.6% | 3% | B+ |
| 511 | West Seneca NY | 45,469 | $80K | 8.8% | 4.7% | 12% | B+ |
| 512 | University City MO | 34,657 | $81K | 14.5% | 3.8% | 4% | B |
| 513 | Cedar Hill TX | 49,801 | $102K | 10.0% | 7.4% | 5% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 953 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 West Seneca, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bordering towns draw 40% of West Seneca’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Seneca workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Seneca | – | B+ | B | 23 min | $79,709 |
| Cheektowaga | 10% | B | A | 20 min | $69,239 |
| Buffalo | 25% | C− | A+ | 20 min | $50,041 |
| Lackawanna | under 2% | C− | A | 20 min | $52,110 |
| Orchard Park | 5% | A− | B− | 22 min | $109,876 |
| Elma | under 2% | A− | C | 22 min | $116,460 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Buffalo. Darker towns draw more of West Seneca’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 West Seneca: questions
What is the median household income in West Seneca?
$79,709 (±$4,164) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Seneca?
8.8%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Seneca?
23 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Seneca work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Buffalo (25%, 7 mi), Amherst (12%, 12 mi), Cheektowaga (10%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Seneca walkable?
West Seneca is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 10.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Seneca without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 30% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Seneca, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Seneca
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.