Photo: Ian Poellet · CC BY-SA 3.0Molalla has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
2,224 jobs are based in Molalla for 4,726 working residents. The two grades for Molalla are B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 6.0 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
Work in Molalla, in a few figures
Molalla’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Molalla is Portland, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (839) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Molalla
66% of Molalla residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 43% of the jobs based in Molalla pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 91% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Molalla workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 23 across Oregon. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. 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.
Inside Molalla’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Molalla is better than 67% of U.S. towns, #39 of 142 in Oregon. The poverty rate holds Molalla’s grade up (4.3%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Molalla could be anywhere from B− to A.
Short hops and long hauls from Molalla
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.
29% of the jobs in Molalla make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Molalla, 2013 → 2023: 1,900 → 2,224. 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 Molalla’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Molalla: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Molalla workers work from home, vs 19% across Oregon. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,653 commuters (the 13% 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.
In and out of Molalla on a workday
On a workday 4,305 residents head out to work, 421 work right here, and 1,803 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,600 people are in Molalla on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer 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.
18% of working residents work in Portland
Where Molalla clocks in
6% of workers
5% 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 Molalla, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Molalla is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #77 of 142 in Oregon. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 8.4% across Oregon.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,373 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 88% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 70% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 7.1% of Molalla households have no vehicle (Oregon 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Molalla’s commuters take a bus or train.
Molalla is 1,231st of 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 168 | Bull Mountain OR | 9,865 | $165K | 4.7% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 207 | Oak Hills OR | 11,131 | $127K | 3.4% | 3.1% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 409 | Damascus OR | 11,437 | $123K | 3.2% | 3.6% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,229 | Commerce CA | 11,688 | $77K | 12.4% | 3.9% | 12% | B+ |
| 1,230 | Hudsonville MI | 7,964 | $91K | 8.3% | 5.4% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,231 | Molalla OR | 10,104 | $89K | 4.3% | 4.7% | 9% | B+ |
| 1,232 | North Logan UT | 11,608 | $90K | 14.4% | 1.4% | 13% | B+ |
| 1,233 | Berlin Township MI | 10,123 | $85K | 8.3% | 4.7% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | 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 Molalla, 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 Molalla: questions
What is the median household income in Molalla?
$89,318 (±$9,231) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,011 across Oregon and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Molalla?
4.3%, against 11.9% across Oregon and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Molalla?
28 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Oregon and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Molalla work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (18%, 27 mi), Oregon City (6%, 13 mi), Canby (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Molalla walkable?
Molalla is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Molalla without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 70% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Molalla, from the people who make the trip.
More of Molalla
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.