Photo: takomabibelot · CC BY 2.0Household incomes in Arnold are lower than in 92% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in Pittsburgh. The poverty rate is 25.5%; Pennsylvania has 11.7%. Arnold grades C− for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Arnold: the figures worth knowing
The four measures behind Arnold’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Arnold is better than 16% of U.S. towns, #982 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Arnold’s grade up (ahead of 80% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (9.9%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Arnold could be anywhere from D to C+.
Goods, not services: 49% of the jobs in Arnold
1,232 jobs are based in Arnold.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Arnold, 2013 → 2023: 1,256 → 1,232. 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 Arnold’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Arnold
On a workday 1,847 residents head out to work, 132 work right here, and 1,100 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,900 people are in Arnold on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.62 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 2023, primary jobs.
15% of working residents work in Pittsburgh
Where Arnold clocks in
15% of workers
7% 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.
Each way, about 26 minutes from Arnold
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Arnold workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,748 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% 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 it is to work from Arnold
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.
Arnold is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Arnold is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns, #174 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Arnold 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 1,975 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 57% 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). 13.3% of Arnold households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Arnold’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Arnold ranks: 3,384th of 3,938 U.S. towns of 3,200 to 6,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Wallace Township PA | 3,759 | $183K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 68 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,382 | Austin IN | 4,254 | $32K | 27.0% | 5.3% | 5% | C− |
| 3,383 | Water Valley MS | 3,414 | $43K | 27.1% | 3.1% | 18% | C− |
| 3,384 | Arnold PA | 4,619 | $45K | 25.5% | 9.9% | 7% | C− |
| 3,385 | Altavista VA | 3,353 | $51K | 11.9% | 7.9% | 19% | C− |
| 3,386 | Truth or Consequences NM | 5,949 | $34K | 31.7% | 1.6% | 48% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,938 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Arnold, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Arnold and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to New Kensington (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Arnold workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold | – | C− | A | 26 min | $45,417 |
| New Kensington | 7% | C | A | 25 min | $49,063 |
| East Deer Township | under 2% | B− | A | 23 min | $65,625 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Arnold’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 Arnold: questions
What is the median household income in Arnold?
$45,417 (±$14,548) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Arnold?
25.5%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Arnold?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Arnold work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (15%, 15 mi), New Kensington (7%, 1 mi), Monroeville (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Arnold walkable?
Arnold is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.9 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Arnold without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Arnold, from the people who make the trip.
More of Arnold
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.