Photo: Ken Winters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domainFewer people are out of work in Rocky River (2.6%) than in 76% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in Rocky River itself; outside it, Cleveland draws the most (33%, 9 miles). Rocky River grades A for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.3 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 11.7 in Cleveland.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Rocky River apart
Rocky River and Cleveland trade workers both ways
Cleveland is the top workplace for Rocky River residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Rocky River come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Rocky River
68% of Rocky River residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 44% of the jobs based in Rocky River pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 91% leave town for their job. 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.
How Rocky River earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rocky River is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #122 of 992 in Ohio. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 90% of U.S. towns); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($94,026, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rocky River could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Out of Rocky River to work: where people go
Where Rocky River clocks in
33% of workers
6% of workers
3% 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.
What work there is in Rocky River: 6,894 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rocky River, 2013 → 2023: 7,391 → 6,894. 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 Rocky River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Rocky River
On a workday 8,363 residents head out to work, 818 work right here, and 6,076 people come in from elsewhere.
About 19,000 people are in Rocky River on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.75 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.
About 22 minutes each way, about the OH average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rocky River workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,906 commuters (the 19% 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.
Rocky River’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Rocky River
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rocky River is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns, #27 of 993 in Ohio. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 5.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, above 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 10,932 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 84% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 28% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 7.7% of Rocky River households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Rocky River’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Rocky River ranks: 291st of 1,787 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 29,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Powell OH | 18,269 | $195K | 1.1% | 2.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Hudson OH | 23,085 | $171K | 3.7% | 1.3% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Genoa Township OH | 27,720 | $177K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 289 | Upper Allen Township PA | 24,700 | $99K | 4.3% | 2.7% | 7% | A |
| 290 | Washington IL | 15,902 | $95K | 5.1% | 1.0% | 12% | A |
| 291 | Rocky River OH | 21,397 | $94K | 5.4% | 2.6% | 9% | A |
| 292 | Mililani Town HI | 27,668 | $127K | 3.2% | 3.7% | 2% | A |
| 293 | Grand Island NY | 21,587 | $116K | 4.1% | 3.5% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,787 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Rocky River, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
11% of Rocky River works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Westlake (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rocky River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky River | – | A | A | 22 min | $94,026 |
| Lakewood | 3% | B | A | 23 min | $68,954 |
| Fairview Park | 2% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $78,865 |
| Bay Village | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 24 min | $132,254 |
| Westlake | 6% | A | B | 24 min | $112,200 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rocky River’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 Rocky River: questions
What is the median household income in Rocky River?
$94,026 (±$6,995) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rocky River?
5.4%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rocky River?
22 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rocky River work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cleveland (33%, 9 mi), Westlake (6%, 4 mi), Lakewood (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rocky River walkable?
Rocky River is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.0 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rocky River without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 28% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rocky River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rocky River
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.