Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Most of Westerlo commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
Household incomes here are higher than in 76% of U.S. towns. 265 jobs are based in Westerlo, against 1,362 working residents. Westerlo grades B+ for jobs and income and D for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Westerlo apart on work
Fewer jobs are based in Westerlo than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Westerlo fell from 593 in 2013 to 265 in 2023, −55%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Westerlo is a place people come home to
There are 265 jobs based in Westerlo, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Westerlo has about 2,200 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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.
Income, poverty and work: Westerlo’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westerlo is better than 72% of U.S. towns, #227 of 758 in New York. Unemployment holds Westerlo’s grade up (2.2%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 38% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westerlo could be anywhere from C+ to A.
Goods jobs make up 59% of work in Westerlo
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westerlo, 2013 → 2023: 593 → 265. 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 Westerlo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in Westerlo, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,304 residents head out to work, 58 work right here, and 207 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,200 people are in Westerlo on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
22% of working residents work in Albany
Where Westerlo clocks in
22% of workers
11% of workers
7% 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.
Getting to work from Westerlo takes about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westerlo workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,157 commuters (the 16% 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.
Where in the region Westerlo works
About 18% 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.
For most of Westerlo, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westerlo is more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns, #736 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Westerlo 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 1,372 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). 2.9% of Westerlo households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Westerlo’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,126th of 4,453: where Westerlo ranks among U.S. towns of 2,300 to 4,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | East Williston NY | 2,616 | $215K | 2.3% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 10 | Lloyd Harbor NY | 3,587 | $250K | 2.1% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Great Neck Estates NY | 3,139 | $238K | 5.7% | 1.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,124 | Union Township IN | 3,481 | $77K | 9.6% | 0.6% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,125 | Hayfield Township PA | 2,720 | $72K | 5.8% | 0.8% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,126 | Westerlo NY | 3,255 | $99K | 7.7% | 2.2% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,127 | Belle Plaine IA | 2,346 | $74K | 3.5% | 1.2% | 20% | B+ |
| 1,128 | Romeo MI | 3,750 | $74K | 11.1% | 1.7% | 9% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,453 | 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 Westerlo, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
The towns next door employ 10% of Westerlo
The biggest share goes to Greenville (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westerlo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerlo | – | B+ | D | 29 min | $99,167 |
| Rensselaerville | under 2% | B | D− | 38 min | $90,324 |
| Coeymans | under 2% | A− | C | 28 min | $95,403 |
| New Scotland | 2% | A− | C− | 24 min | $122,659 |
| Greenville | 6% | B+ | B | 32 min | $81,406 |
| Berne | 2% | B | D− | 33 min | $105,219 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westerlo’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 Westerlo: questions
What is the median household income in Westerlo?
$99,167 (±$20,061) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westerlo?
7.7%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westerlo?
29 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westerlo work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Albany (22%, 17 mi), Colonie (11%, 21 mi), Bethlehem (7%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westerlo walkable?
Westerlo is more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 4.3 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westerlo without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westerlo, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westerlo
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.