Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHouseholds in Martins Ferry have lower incomes than those in 97% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Martins Ferry is better than 3% of U.S. towns (D−); for walkability it is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns (B+). 34.3% of residents are in poverty, where Ohio as a whole has 13.3%. About one in seven stay in Martins Ferry for work; outside it, Wheeling is the main destination (21%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Martins Ferry
Many Martins Ferry workers cross into West Virginia
40% of Martins Ferry workers work outside Ohio, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Wheeling (21%), Weirton (1%) and Moundsville (1%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Martins Ferry trades workers with the towns around it
Martins Ferry has about as many jobs (2,247) as working residents (2,550), but they are mostly different people: 2,227 residents leave for work each day while 1,924 people come in. Only 14% of the jobs in Martins Ferry are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Fewer than half of Martins Ferry workers earn over $40,000 a year
44% of Martins Ferry’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 18% earn $1,250 a month or less. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Martins Ferry’s grade explained
Job access by car holds Martins Ferry’s grade up (ahead of 36% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (14.1%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Martins Ferry could be anywhere from D− to D.
Commuting out of Martins Ferry: the destinations
Where Martins Ferry clocks in
21% 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.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 2,227 residents head out to work, 323 work right here, and 1,924 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 (0.88 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.
What Martins Ferry’s employers do
2,247 jobs are based in Martins Ferry.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Martins Ferry, 2013 → 2023: 2,422 → 2,247. 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 Martins Ferry’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Martins Ferry’s commute takes about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Martins Ferry workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,375 commuters (the 7% 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.
How far Martins Ferry goes to work
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.
Driving is how Martins Ferry gets around
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.7% across Ohio.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,563 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). 16.7% of Martins Ferry households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Martins Ferry’s commuters take a bus or train.
U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,200, and where Martins Ferry sits
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | The Village of Indian Hill OH | 6,114 | $235K | 3.1% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Pepper Pike OH | 6,886 | $228K | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Independence OH | 7,456 | $116K | 2.4% | 1.5% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,384 | Holdenville OK | 5,923 | $46K | 24.2% | 7.9% | 30% | D− |
| 3,385 | Bisbee AZ | 4,860 | $48K | 15.2% | 13.6% | 29% | D− |
| 3,386 | Martins Ferry OH | 6,048 | $37K | 34.3% | 14.1% | 13% | D− |
| 3,387 | Taylor Creek FL | 4,457 | $38K | 19.2% | 9.0% | 2% | D− |
| 3,388 | Titusville PA | 5,112 | $38K | 23.0% | 8.9% | 30% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,444 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | 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 Martins Ferry, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
22% of Martins Ferry works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Martins Ferry workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martins Ferry | – | D− | B+ | 19 min | $37,467 |
| Pease Township | under 2% | D | B | 24 min | $50,755 |
| Bridgeport | 1% | C− | A− | 18 min | $54,125 |
| Yorkville | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Yorkville: 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 Martins Ferry’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 Martins Ferry: questions
What is the median household income in Martins Ferry?
$37,467 (±$7,036) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Martins Ferry?
34.3%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Martins Ferry?
19 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Martins Ferry work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wheeling (21%, 3 mi), Richland Township (5%, 10 mi), St. Clairsville (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Martins Ferry walkable?
Martins Ferry is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Martins Ferry without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 17% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Martins Ferry, from the people who make the trip.
More of Martins Ferry
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.