Photo: Dasandman008 · CC BY-SA 3.0Girard has higher unemployment (7.6%) than 86% of U.S. towns
Home is the office for 3% of workers; Pennsylvania has 16%. Jobs and income earn Girard C; getting around on foot earns it A−. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.7 in Philadelphia.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Girard apart
Commutes from Girard are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 26 across Pennsylvania. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical Pennsylvania worker. Time on the road ↓
Few Girard workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 16% across Pennsylvania. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Girard’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Girard is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #868 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The poverty rate holds Girard’s grade up (8.8%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Girard could be anywhere from D to A−.
How long Girard spends getting to work: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Girard workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,474 commuters (the 3% 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 a workday changes Girard
On a workday 1,202 residents head out to work, 62 work right here, and 755 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,500 people are in Girard on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.65 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 2024, primary jobs.
23% of working residents work in Erie
Where Girard clocks in
23% of workers
11% 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.
Inside Girard’s 817 jobs
817 jobs are based in Girard.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Girard, 2014 → 2024: 1,014 → 817. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Girard’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Girard, by distance
About 16% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Girard 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, Girard is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #323 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.2% 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 1,525 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 29% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 29% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 47% 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). 6.9% of Girard households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Girard’s commuters take a bus or train.
3,312th of 4,882: where Girard ranks among U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Wallace Township PA | 3,759 | $183K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Newtown PA | 2,257 | $166K | 2.0% | 2.3% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 71 | Churchill PA | 3,014 | $107K | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,310 | Pajaro CA | 2,899 | $85K | 19.3% | 12.1% | 2% | C |
| 3,311 | Skippers Corner NC | 3,792 | $72K | 28.3% | 5.1% | 1% | C |
| 3,312 | Girard PA | 2,906 | $71K | 8.8% | 7.6% | 5% | C |
| 3,313 | Huntington Township PA | 2,103 | $62K | 7.3% | 5.2% | 3% | C |
| 3,314 | Raoul GA | 2,253 | $45K | 9.7% | 4.3% | <1% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,882 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 0% | 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 Girard, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
10% of Girard works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Lake City (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Girard workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girard | – | C | A− | 17 min | $71,165 |
| Girard Township | 4% | B+ | D | 22 min | $95,461 |
| Lake City | 6% | C+ | B | 24 min | $75,048 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Girard’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 2024, 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 Girard: questions
What is the median household income in Girard?
$71,165 (±$21,674) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Girard?
8.8%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Girard?
17 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Girard work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Erie (23%, 15 mi), Millcreek Township (19%, 12 mi), Fairview Township (11%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Girard walkable?
Girard is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 10.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Girard without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 29% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Girard, from the people who make the trip.
More of Girard
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.