Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Household incomes in Downingtown top those of 74% of U.S. towns
Only 6% stay in Downingtown for work; outside it, Philadelphia is the main destination (7%, 30 miles). 5.6% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania. The two grades for Downingtown are A− for jobs and income and B for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Downingtown, in brief
Downingtown trades workers with the towns around it
Downingtown has about as many jobs (4,869) as working residents (4,460), but they are mostly different people: 4,190 residents leave for work each day while 4,599 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in Downingtown are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
No single place dominates Downingtown’s commute
The biggest draw, Philadelphia, gets only 7% of working residents, and 50% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Downingtown residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Downingtown
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Downingtown is better than 85% of U.S. towns, #231 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 86% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Downingtown could be anywhere from B to A+.
Downingtown on a workday afternoon
On a workday 4,190 residents head out to work, 270 work right here, and 4,599 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 (1.09 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 Downingtown: the destinations
Where Downingtown clocks in
7% 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.
65% of the jobs in Downingtown pay over $3,333 a month
4,869 jobs are based in Downingtown.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Downingtown, 2013 → 2023: 5,783 → 4,869. 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 Downingtown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Downingtown takes about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Downingtown workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,169 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.
The distance from Downingtown to work
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 Downingtown, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Downingtown is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns, #462 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.9% 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 4,943 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 43% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 54% 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). 5.3% of Downingtown households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Downingtown’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Downingtown is 628th of 2,947 U.S. towns of 5,900 to 11,300
| # | 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 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | West Vincent Township PA | 6,885 | $203K | 1.4% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Bethel Township PA | 9,774 | $177K | 1.8% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Upper Nazareth Township PA | 8,521 | $122K | 1.2% | 0.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 626 | Lindale TX | 7,385 | $83K | 4.6% | 0.6% | 9% | A− |
| 627 | Countryside VA | 9,661 | $149K | 4.8% | 5.8% | 1% | A− |
| 628 | Downingtown PA | 8,384 | $96K | 5.6% | 3.7% | 6% | A− |
| 629 | New Durham Township IN | 8,194 | $89K | 5.9% | 1.5% | 7% | A− |
| 630 | Dover MA | 6,026 | $250K | 2.7% | 8.2% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,947 | 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 Downingtown, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Downingtown and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to East Caln Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Downingtown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downingtown | – | A− | B | 25 min | $96,228 |
| East Caln Township | 4% | A+ | A− | 22 min | $102,288 |
| Caln Township | under 4% | A | B+ | 26 min | $100,164 |
| West Bradford Township | under 4% | A | C+ | 27 min | $160,514 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Downingtown’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 Downingtown: questions
What is the median household income in Downingtown?
$96,228 (±$8,481) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Downingtown?
5.6%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Downingtown?
25 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Downingtown work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (7%, 30 mi), West Whiteland Township (6%, 5 mi), West Goshen Township (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Downingtown walkable?
Downingtown is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Downingtown without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Downingtown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Downingtown
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.