Photo: hhm8 · CC BY 2.0Boston at work: jobs, income and the commute
Employers in Boston report 176 jobs, and 222 of its residents work somewhere. 31% of workers work from home, where Pennsylvania as a whole has 16%. Hardly any work in Boston itself; outside it, Pittsburgh draws the most (20%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Boston apart
Working from home in Boston
of Boston workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 40 commuters (the 31% 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.
In and out of Boston on a workday
On a workday 220 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 174 people come in from elsewhere.
About 120 people are in Boston on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.79 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.
Commuting out of Boston: the destinations
Where Boston clocks in
20% of workers
9% of workers
6% 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.
Goods, not services: 52% of the jobs in Boston
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Boston, 2013 → 2023: 125 → 176. 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 Boston’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Boston
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.
The towns around Boston
The biggest share goes to Versailles (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Boston workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | – | — | — | — | $50,903 |
| Versailles | 2% | C | A+ | 24 min | $42,500 |
| Greenock | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Greenock: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Boston’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 Boston: questions
What is the median household income in Boston?
$50,903 (±$28,780) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Boston?
0.0%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Boston work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (20%, 12 mi), Elizabeth Township (9%, 3 mi), Monroeville (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Boston without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Boston, from the people who make the trip.
More of Boston
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.