Photo: Tesint at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0West Linn has higher household incomes than 95% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 5.5% of residents, next to 11.9% for Oregon as a whole. The two grades for West Linn are A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 6.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 19.6 in Portland.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from West Linn, in brief
A lot of West Linn works from home
32% of West Linn workers work from home, against 19% across Oregon. Time on the road ↓
West Linn and Portland trade workers both ways
Portland is the top workplace for West Linn residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in West Linn come from (17% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Why West Linn gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Linn is better than 87% of U.S. towns, #13 of 142 in Oregon. Household income holds West Linn’s grade up ($146,507, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Linn could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Each way, about 24 minutes from West Linn
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Linn workers work from home, vs 19% across Oregon. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,185 commuters (the 32% 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.
30% of working residents work in Portland
Where West Linn clocks in
7% 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.
Who works in West Linn, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 10,504 residents head out to work, 764 work right here, and 4,991 people come in from elsewhere.
About 21,000 people are in West Linn on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.51 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
What West Linn’s employers do
5,755 jobs are based in West Linn.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Linn, 2014 → 2024: 4,725 → 5,755. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Linn’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from West Linn
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
West Linn is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Linn is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns, #80 of 142 in Oregon. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.0% 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 12,107 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 28% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 13% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 89% 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). 2.3% of West Linn households have no vehicle (Oregon 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of West Linn’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Linn is 340th of 1,477 U.S. towns of 19,000 to 36,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 206 | Bethany OR | 33,106 | $168K | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 303 | Sherwood OR | 20,535 | $110K | 4.3% | 3.5% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 338 | Newington CT | 31,647 | $103K | 6.4% | 3.6% | 10% | A |
| 339 | Upper Providence Township PA | 24,963 | $141K | 3.9% | 5.6% | 9% | A |
| 340 | West Linn OR | 26,567 | $147K | 5.5% | 4.3% | 7% | A |
| 341 | North Kingstown RI | 27,885 | $126K | 6.1% | 3.4% | 19% | A |
| 342 | Lynbrook NY | 20,855 | $137K | 7.5% | 4.5% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 560 | Happy Valley OR | 28,916 | $122K | 7.7% | 4.8% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,477 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 35% | 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 West Linn, the top three, the last and three more from Oregon.
11% of West Linn works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Lake Oswego (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Linn workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Linn | – | A | A− | 24 min | $146,507 |
| Stafford | under 3% | A | C− | 33 min | $163,155 |
| Lake Oswego | 7% | A | A | 22 min | $141,549 |
| Oak Grove | under 3% | B+ | A | 25 min | $86,226 |
| Oregon City | 4% | A− | A | 27 min | $97,829 |
| Jennings Lodge | under 3% | B | A+ | 25 min | $71,054 |
| Gladstone | under 3% | B | A | 23 min | $91,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Linn’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 2024, 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 West Linn: questions
What is the median household income in West Linn?
$146,507 (±$13,220) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,011 across Oregon and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Linn?
5.5%, against 11.9% across Oregon and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Linn?
24 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Oregon and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Linn work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (30%, 12 mi), Lake Oswego (7%, 4 mi), Tualatin (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Linn walkable?
West Linn is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 11.1 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Linn without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 13% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Linn, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Linn
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.