Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Clairton earn less than those in 98% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 4.4 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 37.5 in Pittsburgh. Below the poverty line: 33.0% of residents, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania. Jobs and income earn Clairton D; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Clairton: the gist
Clairton makes and builds things
80% of the jobs based in Clairton are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Clairton residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 12%. The jobs ↓
The jobs in Clairton pay better than its residents’ jobs
87% of the jobs based in Clairton pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 47% of the jobs Clairton residents hold. 94% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Clairton. The jobs ↓
Clairton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 26 across Pennsylvania. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (25 to 26 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.
Inside Clairton’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Clairton is better than 15% of U.S. towns, #994 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Clairton’s grade up (ahead of 81% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($36,538, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Clairton could be anywhere from D to C−.
Making and building: 80% of jobs based in Clairton
1,930 jobs are based in Clairton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Clairton, 2013 → 2023: 2,347 → 1,930. 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 Clairton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Clairton’s commute takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Clairton workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,874 commuters (the 16% 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 many people are in Clairton by day
On a workday 2,191 residents head out to work, 113 work right here, and 1,817 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 (0.84 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.
23% of working residents work in Pittsburgh
Where Clairton clocks in
23% of workers
5% 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.
Miles to work from Clairton
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.
In Clairton, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Clairton is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #114 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Clairton 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 2,239 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, 58% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 82% 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). 19.9% of Clairton households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Clairton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Clairton places 3,032nd of 3,432 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 4,100 to 7,900
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,030 | Marseilles IL | 4,809 | $58K | 21.5% | 7.5% | 6% | D |
| 3,031 | Sauk Centre MN | 4,663 | $63K | 19.5% | 6.5% | 34% | D |
| 3,032 | Clairton PA | 5,876 | $37K | 33.0% | 8.2% | 5% | D |
| 3,033 | Atlanta TX | 5,478 | $60K | 21.1% | 5.9% | 28% | D |
| 3,034 | Mills WY | 4,634 | $51K | 15.0% | 8.1% | 8% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 3,432 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | 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 Clairton, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
The towns next door employ 10% of Clairton
The biggest share goes to Jefferson Hills (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Clairton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clairton | – | D | A | 31 min | $36,538 |
| Jefferson Hills | 5% | A− | C | 25 min | $116,064 |
| Lincoln | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Glassport | under 2% | C− | A | 26 min | $47,803 |
| West Mifflin | 5% | B− | A | 26 min | $76,563 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lincoln: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Clairton’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 Clairton: questions
What is the median household income in Clairton?
$36,538 (±$6,080) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Clairton?
33.0%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Clairton?
31 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Clairton work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (23%, 11 mi), West Mifflin (5%, 4 mi), Jefferson Hills (5%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Clairton walkable?
Clairton is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.7 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Clairton without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 20% of households have no car. 58% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Clairton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Clairton
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.