Photo: Kulshrax · Public domainWestlake has 1.8 jobs for every working resident: 24,809 people commute in to work
Westlake grades A for jobs and income and B for walkability. 26,953 jobs are based in Westlake, and 14,748 of its residents work somewhere. Household incomes here are higher than in 85% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Westlake apart
Westlake is where the jobs are
Westlake has 26,953 jobs, 1.8 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
31% of Westlake works in Cleveland
4,531 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Cleveland, 13 miles away. That’s twice as many as work in Westlake itself. The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in Westlake
21% of Westlake workers work from home, against 13% across Ohio. Time on the road ↓
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 Westlake earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westlake is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #124 of 992 in Ohio. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.5%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Westlake could be anywhere from A− to A+.
In and out of Westlake on a workday
On a workday 12,604 residents head out to work and 2,144 work right here.
About 46,000 people are in Westlake on a workday afternoon, 36% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting in to Westlake: where workers come from
Where Westlake clocks in
31% of workers
3% of workers
2% 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.
Getting to work from Westlake takes about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westlake workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,617 commuters (the 21% 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.
What Westlake’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westlake, 2013 → 2023: 23,157 → 26,953. 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 Westlake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Westlake
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 Westlake gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westlake is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns, #282 of 993 in Ohio. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.1% 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 16,043 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 69% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 31% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 70% 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). 5.1% of Westlake households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Westlake’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Westlake ranks: 212th of 1,255 U.S. towns of 24,000 to 46,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Genoa Township OH | 27,720 | $177K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 210 | Westchase FL | 24,885 | $124K | 5.3% | 3.6% | 4% | A |
| 211 | Miami Lakes FL | 33,067 | $102K | 6.0% | 3.1% | 9% | A |
| 212 | Westlake OH | 33,904 | $112K | 4.9% | 3.5% | 15% | A |
| 213 | Sachse TX | 32,834 | $132K | 3.3% | 5.2% | 2% | A |
| 214 | Newtown CT | 28,183 | $155K | 4.5% | 3.7% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,255 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Westlake, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Work in the towns next to Westlake
The biggest share goes to North Olmsted (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westlake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westlake | – | A | B | 24 min | $112,200 |
| North Olmsted | 3% | A− | B+ | 24 min | $84,363 |
| Avon | 2% | A+ | C+ | 25 min | $135,915 |
| Rocky River | 2% | A | A | 22 min | $94,026 |
| Bay Village | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 24 min | $132,254 |
| Fairview Park | under 2% | B+ | A− | 23 min | $78,865 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westlake’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 Westlake: questions
What is the median household income in Westlake?
$112,200 (±$4,858) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westlake?
4.9%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westlake?
24 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westlake work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cleveland (31%, 13 mi), North Olmsted (3%, 2 mi), Avon (2%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westlake walkable?
Westlake is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 10.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westlake without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 31% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westlake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westlake
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.