Photo: Steve Carrea · Public domainHouseholds in White Plains have higher incomes than those in 84% of U.S. towns
The two grades for White Plains are B+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Below the poverty line: 11.2% of residents, next to 14.0% for New York as a whole. About one in seven work in White Plains; the top destination outside it is New York City (37%, 27 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in White Plains: the gist
White Plains and New York City trade workers both ways
New York City is the top workplace for White Plains residents (37%) and also where the most people who work in White Plains come from (20% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
White Plains is where the jobs are
White Plains has 39,123 jobs, 1.5 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
The biggest group of White Plains’ workers comes from New York City
7,757 of the people who work in White Plains live in New York City, 27 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
Commutes from White Plains are quick
The average trip to work takes 27 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in White Plains pay over $40,000 a year
74% of the jobs based in White Plains pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
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.
Inside White Plains’ Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, White Plains is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #252 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds White Plains’ grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, White Plains could be anywhere from B to A−.
Where the people who work in White Plains live
Where White Plains clocks in
37% of workers
7% of workers
4% 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 daily commute in and out of White Plains
On a workday 22,291 residents head out to work, 3,691 work right here, and 35,432 people come in from elsewhere.
About 76,000 people are in White Plains on a workday afternoon, 21% more than live here.
1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
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 daily trip from White Plains: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of White Plains workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 24,343 commuters (the 22% 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
39,123 jobs are based in White Plains.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in White Plains, 2013 → 2023: 49,726 → 39,123. 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 White Plains’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far White Plains’ workers travel
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.
White Plains is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, White Plains is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #42 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place White Plains 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 31,231 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 55% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 49.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 17.1% of White Plains households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 16% of White Plains’ commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, White Plains is 330th among 709 U.S. towns of 44,000 to 85,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 108 | Perinton NY | 46,823 | $112K | 4.8% | 3.3% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 122 | Webster NY | 45,309 | $94K | 5.1% | 2.7% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 136 | Lancaster NY | 45,075 | $89K | 5.2% | 2.4% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 328 | Warwick RI | 84,187 | $89K | 7.6% | 5.1% | 23% | B+ |
| 329 | Palm Harbor FL | 61,512 | $79K | 10.3% | 3.3% | 10% | B+ |
| 330 | White Plains NY | 62,871 | $111K | 11.2% | 5.9% | 14% | B+ |
| 331 | Pico Rivera CA | 58,915 | $88K | 10.3% | 4.9% | 6% | B+ |
| 332 | Clay NY | 59,285 | $91K | 8.4% | 4.2% | 13% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 709 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 28% | 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 White Plains, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Work next door: 12% of White Plains’ workers
The biggest share goes to Greenburgh (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | White Plains workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Plains | – | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $110,763 |
| Harrison | under 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $164,250 |
| Harrison | 3% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Scarsdale | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 43 min | $250,000+ |
| Greenburgh | 7% | A | A+ | 34 min | $152,256 |
| North Castle | 2% | A+ | A | 37 min | $208,156 |
Same-state neighbors only. Harrison: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of White Plains’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 White Plains: questions
What is the median household income in White Plains?
$110,763 (±$5,132) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in White Plains?
11.2%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from White Plains?
27 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in White Plains work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (37%, 27 mi), Greenburgh (7%, 5 mi), Mount Pleasant (4%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is White Plains walkable?
White Plains is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.1 out of 20, and 25% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around White Plains without a car?
16% of commuters take transit and 17% of households have no car. 55% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from White Plains, from the people who make the trip.
More of White Plains
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.