Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0At 3.1%, unemployment in Bridgeport is lower than in 68% of U.S. towns
Bridgeport grades B+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.9 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.7 in Philadelphia. The average commute takes 19 minutes each way, next to 26 for Pennsylvania and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Bridgeport
Fewer jobs are based in Bridgeport than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Bridgeport fell from 3,545 in 2013 to 1,480 in 2023, −58%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Bridgeport are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 26 across Pennsylvania. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Pennsylvania worker, and quicker than any town next door (24 to 27 minutes). 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.
The four measures behind Bridgeport’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bridgeport is better than 66% of U.S. towns, #499 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Bridgeport’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (18.2%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bridgeport could be anywhere from C+ to A.
Bridgeport makes things: 29% of its jobs are in goods
1,480 jobs are based in Bridgeport.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bridgeport, 2013 → 2023: 3,545 → 1,480. 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 Bridgeport’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Bridgeport takes about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bridgeport workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,544 commuters (the 20% 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 Bridgeport on a workday
On a workday 2,390 residents head out to work, 90 work right here, and 1,390 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,800 people are in Bridgeport on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.60 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.
14% of working residents work in Philadelphia
Where Bridgeport clocks in
14% of workers
14% 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.
The commute from Bridgeport, by distance
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.
Bridgeport 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, Bridgeport is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #100 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Bridgeport 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 3,176 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 60% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 91% 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). 9.5% of Bridgeport households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Bridgeport’s commuters take a bus or train.
Bridgeport next to U.S. towns of 4,000 to 7,800: 1,338th of 3,527 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | West Vincent Township PA | 6,885 | $203K | 1.4% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,336 | Olympia Fields IL | 4,593 | $124K | 13.7% | 5.9% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,337 | Sunset Beach NC | 4,642 | $82K | 5.7% | 0.7% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,338 | Bridgeport PA | 5,758 | $83K | 18.2% | 3.1% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,339 | Erda UT | 4,056 | $149K | 3.9% | 10.5% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,340 | Moultonborough NH | 5,293 | $107K | 2.1% | 3.9% | 24% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,527 | 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 Bridgeport, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Bordering towns draw 14% of Bridgeport’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bridgeport workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport | – | B+ | A+ | 19 min | $82,705 |
| Upper Merion Township | 14% | A | A | 25 min | $121,985 |
| Norristown | under 3% | C+ | A+ | 27 min | $66,701 |
| King of Prussia | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Swedesburg | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. King of Prussia and Swedesburg: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Upper Merion Township. Darker towns draw more of Bridgeport’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 Bridgeport: questions
What is the median household income in Bridgeport?
$82,705 (±$7,822) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bridgeport?
18.2%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bridgeport?
19 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bridgeport work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (14%, 13 mi), Upper Merion Township (14%, 2 mi), Tredyffrin Township (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bridgeport walkable?
Bridgeport is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.7 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bridgeport without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 60% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bridgeport, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bridgeport
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.