Household incomes in Sylvania top those of 77% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in Sylvania itself; outside it, Toledo draws the most (36%, 7 miles). Below the poverty line: 5.6% of residents; Ohio has 13.3%. The two grades for Sylvania are A− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Sylvania
Sylvania trades workers with the towns around it
Sylvania has about as many jobs (9,316) as working residents (8,713), but they are mostly different people: 7,809 residents leave for work each day while 8,412 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Sylvania are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Sylvania and Toledo trade workers both ways
Toledo is the top workplace for Sylvania residents (36%) and also where the most people who work in Sylvania come from (32% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Sylvania is services
87% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 2% are in factories, building or farms. 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 Sylvania’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Sylvania is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #243 of 992 in Ohio. Household income is its strongest input ($100,189, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Sylvania could be anywhere from B+ to A.
In and out of Sylvania on a workday
On a workday 7,809 residents head out to work, 904 work right here, and 8,412 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 (1.07 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.
The towns that employ Sylvania’s residents
Where Sylvania clocks in
36% of workers
9% 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.
In Sylvania, services account for most jobs
9,316 jobs are based in Sylvania.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sylvania, 2013 → 2023: 10,096 → 9,316. 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 Sylvania’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Sylvania: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sylvania workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,444 commuters (the 18% 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 Sylvania goes to work
About 16% 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.
In Sylvania, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Sylvania is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns, #219 of 993 in Ohio. Both inputs place Sylvania 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 9,094 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 6% 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 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 42% 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). 3.3% of Sylvania households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Sylvania’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Sylvania ranks: 591st of 1,915 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Powell OH | 18,269 | $195K | 1.1% | 2.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Hudson OH | 23,085 | $171K | 3.7% | 1.3% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 589 | Wilmington Island GA | 13,905 | $94K | 4.2% | 3.5% | 7% | A− |
| 590 | Lewisville NC | 14,421 | $101K | 10.2% | 1.9% | 3% | A− |
| 591 | Sylvania OH | 18,883 | $100K | 5.6% | 3.9% | 10% | A− |
| 592 | Abington MA | 17,142 | $125K | 5.2% | 6.0% | 7% | A− |
| 593 | Sharonville OH | 13,997 | $75K | 9.1% | 1.3% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | 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 Sylvania, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Sylvania and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Sylvania Township (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sylvania workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvania | – | A− | B+ | 22 min | $100,189 |
| Sylvania Township | 9% | A− | B | 21 min | $105,406 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Sylvania’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 Sylvania: questions
What is the median household income in Sylvania?
$100,189 (±$9,208) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sylvania?
5.6%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sylvania?
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 Sylvania work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Toledo (36%, 7 mi), Sylvania Township (9%, 1 mi), Maumee (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Sylvania walkable?
Sylvania is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Sylvania without a car?
1% 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 Sylvania, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sylvania
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.