USS LCI-713 (Landing Craft) · Photo: Ian Poellet (User:Werewombat) · CC BY-SA 3.0At 5.3%, unemployment in Astoria is higher than in 65% of U.S. towns
About one in three work in Astoria; the top destination outside it is Portland (12%, 72 miles). The two grades for Astoria are C− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.7 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 19.6 in Portland.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Astoria apart on work
Astoria’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Astoria is Portland, 72 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (532) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
43% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
The four measures behind Astoria’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Astoria is better than 19% of U.S. towns, #115 of 142 in Oregon. Household income holds Astoria’s grade up ($68,007, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 16% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Astoria could be anywhere from D to C+.
How far it is to work from Astoria
About 43% 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.
How many people are in Astoria by day
On a workday 3,093 residents head out to work, 1,527 work right here, and 3,400 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.
Out of Astoria to work: where people go
Where Astoria clocks in
4% 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 4,927 jobs based in Astoria
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Astoria, 2013 → 2023: 4,501 → 4,927. 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 Astoria’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Astoria: 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 Astoria workers work from home, vs 19% across Oregon. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,557 commuters (the 21% who work from home are left out). Across Oregon: 80% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Astoria
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Astoria is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #23 of 142 in Oregon. Both inputs place Astoria 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 4,530 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% 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 2.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 73% 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 Astoria households have no vehicle (Oregon 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Astoria’s commuters take a bus or train.
Astoria places 2,383rd of 2,761 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 6,900 to 13,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 164 | Bull Mountain OR | 9,865 | $165K | 4.7% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 199 | Oak Hills OR | 11,131 | $127K | 3.4% | 3.1% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 395 | Damascus OR | 11,437 | $123K | 3.2% | 3.6% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,381 | Lawrence Township PA | 7,309 | $62K | 13.1% | 7.7% | 23% | C− |
| 2,382 | Marietta OH | 13,053 | $48K | 19.1% | 4.7% | 36% | C− |
| 2,383 | Astoria OR | 9,838 | $68K | 16.8% | 5.3% | 33% | C− |
| 2,384 | Bloomingdale TN | 9,292 | $52K | 25.7% | 6.2% | <1% | C− |
| 2,385 | Pikeville KY | 7,270 | $40K | 27.1% | 3.2% | 45% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,761 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Astoria, the top three, the last and three more from Oregon.
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 Astoria: questions
What is the median household income in Astoria?
$68,007 (±$8,456) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,011 across Oregon and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Astoria?
16.8%, against 11.9% across Oregon and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Astoria?
22 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Oregon and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Astoria work?
33% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (12%, 72 mi), Warrenton (8%, 6 mi), Seaside (4%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Astoria walkable?
Astoria is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.1 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Astoria without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Astoria, from the people who make the trip.
More of Astoria
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.