Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHouseholds in Bridgeport have lower incomes than those in 83% of U.S. towns
Only 3% work in Bridgeport; the top destination outside it is Wheeling (21%, 3 miles). 16.3% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 13.3% for Ohio as a whole. For jobs and income Bridgeport is better than 17% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (A−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Bridgeport apart on work
A lot of Bridgeport workers cross into West Virginia
36% of Bridgeport workers work outside Ohio, most of them in West Virginia, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
A lot of Bridgeport works one town over
27% of working residents work in a town that borders Bridgeport: Wheeling (21%) and Martins Ferry (6%). Next door ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Bridgeport than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Bridgeport fell from 609 in 2013 to 430 in 2023, −29%. 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 ↓
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; with 583 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The four measures behind Bridgeport’s grade
Job access by car holds Bridgeport’s grade up (ahead of 37% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($54,125, U.S. $80,734).
Unemployment (5.8%) is left out: Bridgeport’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Bridgeport could be anywhere from D to C.
Where people from Bridgeport work
Where Bridgeport clocks in
21% of workers
6% 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 430 jobs based in Bridgeport
430 jobs are based in Bridgeport.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bridgeport, 2013 → 2023: 609 → 430. 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 Bridgeport’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Bridgeport
On a workday 564 residents head out to work, 19 work right here, and 411 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in Bridgeport on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
0.74 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
Time on the road from Bridgeport: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bridgeport workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 694 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Bridgeport
About 22% 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.
Bridgeport is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 753 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.6% of Bridgeport households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Bridgeport’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 5,794 U.S. towns of 1,100 to 2,100, Bridgeport comes 4,271st on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | New California OH | 1,672 | $162K | 0.0% | 1.1% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Millcreek Township OH | 1,562 | $151K | 2.3% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Bratenahl OH | 1,396 | $138K | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,269 | Milan MO | 1,742 | $56K | 10.7% | 5.8% | 59% | C− |
| 4,270 | New Waterford OH | 1,160 | $47K | 21.8% | 2.6% | 1% | C− |
| 4,271 | Bridgeport OH | 1,523 | $54K | 16.3% | 5.8% | 3% | C− |
| 4,272 | Albany TX | 1,905 | $68K | 10.5% | 10.9% | 15% | C− |
| 4,273 | Courtland VA | 1,299 | $61K | 13.5% | 11.6% | 6% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,794 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Bridgeport, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
The towns next door employ 27% of Bridgeport
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bridgeport workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport | – | C− | A− | 18 min | $54,125 |
| Pease Township | under 2% | D | B | 24 min | $50,755 |
| Brookside | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Martins Ferry | 6% | D− | B+ | 19 min | $37,467 |
Same-state neighbors only. Brookside: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Wheeling. Darker towns draw more of Bridgeport’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 Bridgeport: questions
What is the median household income in Bridgeport?
$54,125 (±$7,096) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bridgeport?
16.3%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bridgeport?
18 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bridgeport work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wheeling (21%, 3 mi), Richland Township (8%, 9 mi), Martins Ferry (6%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bridgeport walkable?
Bridgeport is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bridgeport without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bridgeport, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bridgeport
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.