Photo: Jack Boucher · Public domainHouseholds in Bensalem Township earn more than those in 62% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 6.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.7 in Philadelphia. The poverty rate is 11.9%; Pennsylvania has 11.7%. Bensalem Township grades B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Bensalem Township apart
Where Bensalem Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bensalem Township is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #512 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Bensalem Township’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bensalem Township could be anywhere from B− to A−.
21% of working residents work in Philadelphia
Where Bensalem Township clocks in
21% of workers
5% of workers
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.
Bensalem Township by day and by night
On a workday 24,273 residents head out to work, 4,406 work right here, and 31,302 people come in from elsewhere.
About 70,000 people are in Bensalem Township on a workday afternoon, 11% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.25 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
65% of the jobs in Bensalem Township pay over $3,333 a month
35,708 jobs are based in Bensalem Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bensalem Township, 2014 → 2024: 34,537 → 35,708. 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 Bensalem Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Bensalem Township spends getting to work: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bensalem Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 27,078 commuters (the 15% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Bensalem Township
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.
In Bensalem Township, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bensalem Township is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns, #159 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Bensalem Township 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 31,964 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 97% 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 6.8 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). 7.2% of Bensalem Township households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Bensalem Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Bensalem Township is 370th of 709 U.S. towns of 44,000 to 85,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 50 | Haverford Township PA | 50,997 | $132K | 3.4% | 4.3% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 99 | Manheim Township PA | 44,826 | $102K | 5.8% | 2.7% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Middletown Township PA | 45,547 | $114K | 5.4% | 4.0% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 368 | Lawrence IN | 50,420 | $74K | 8.7% | 4.5% | 7% | B+ |
| 369 | Lebanon TN | 53,412 | $73K | 13.1% | 2.4% | 25% | B+ |
| 370 | Bensalem Township PA | 62,783 | $85K | 11.9% | 4.8% | 15% | B+ |
| 371 | Wabash Township IN | 66,098 | $41K | 33.4% | 3.8% | 35% | B+ |
| 372 | West Seneca NY | 45,469 | $80K | 8.8% | 4.7% | 12% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 709 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 27% | 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 Bensalem Township, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
The towns next door employ 32% of Bensalem Township
The biggest share goes to Philadelphia (21%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bensalem Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bensalem Township | – | B+ | A | 29 min | $85,223 |
| Philadelphia | 21% | C | A+ | 32 min | $61,953 |
| Bristol Township | 5% | B | A | 27 min | $79,101 |
| Middletown Township | 4% | A | A− | 28 min | $114,449 |
| Croydon | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Hulmeville | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Lower Southampton Township | 2% | A− | A− | 34 min | $103,211 |
| Trevose | under 2% | — | — | 48 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Croydon and Trevose: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Hulmeville: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bensalem Township’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 Bensalem Township: questions
What is the median household income in Bensalem Township?
$85,223 (±$5,125) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bensalem Township?
11.9%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bensalem Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bensalem Township work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (21%, 12 mi), Bristol Township (5%, 4 mi), Middletown Township (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Bensalem Township walkable?
Bensalem Township is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.1 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bensalem Township without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 31% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bensalem Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bensalem Township
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.