Photo: Smallbones · Public domainAt 5.1%, unemployment in Bristol is higher than in 63% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Bristol are B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.8 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.7 in Philadelphia. About one in ten work in Bristol itself; outside it, Philadelphia draws the most (14%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Bristol: the figures worth knowing
Bristol trades workers with the towns around it
Bristol has about as many jobs (4,476) as working residents (4,908), but they are mostly different people: 4,453 residents leave for work each day while 4,021 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Bristol are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Bristol workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 26 across Pennsylvania. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. 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 Bristol’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bristol is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #510 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Bristol’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bristol could be anywhere from C+ to A+.
Who works in Bristol, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 4,453 residents head out to work, 455 work right here, and 4,021 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.91 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.
A commute of about 32 minutes in Bristol
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bristol workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,486 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.
Where Bristol goes to work
Where Bristol clocks in
14% of workers
10% of workers
7% 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.
What Bristol’s employers do
4,476 jobs are based in Bristol.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bristol, 2013 → 2023: 3,714 → 4,476. 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 Bristol’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Bristol
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.
Bristol is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bristol is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #109 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 6.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 8.6% across Pennsylvania.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,064 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, 90% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% 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). 10.3% of Bristol households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Bristol’s commuters take a bus or train.
Bristol next to U.S. towns of 7,000 to 13,500: 1,230th of 2,744 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | Bethel Township PA | 9,774 | $177K | 1.8% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Upper Nazareth Township PA | 8,521 | $122K | 1.2% | 0.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 71 | Worcester Township PA | 11,191 | $185K | 3.1% | 3.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,228 | Dudley MA | 11,972 | $85K | 6.4% | 4.9% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,229 | Schoolcraft Township MI | 9,316 | $81K | 8.5% | 3.1% | 9% | B+ |
| 1,230 | Bristol PA | 9,970 | $76K | 8.6% | 5.1% | 9% | B+ |
| 1,231 | Park Township KS | 8,984 | $70K | 11.8% | 2.3% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,232 | Fairview Shores FL | 11,844 | $62K | 11.8% | 2.4% | 2% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,744 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Bristol, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
The towns next door employ 10% of Bristol
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bristol workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | – | B+ | A | 32 min | $76,042 |
| Bristol Township | 10% | B | A | 27 min | $79,101 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Bristol Township. Darker towns draw more of Bristol’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 Bristol: questions
What is the median household income in Bristol?
$76,042 (±$22,106) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bristol?
8.6%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bristol?
32 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bristol work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (14%, 16 mi), Bristol Township (10%, 2 mi), Bensalem Township (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bristol walkable?
Bristol is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 15.9 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bristol without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 90% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bristol, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bristol
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.