At 8.8%, unemployment in Lake Township is higher than in 91% of U.S. towns
5% of workers have no commute at all (Pennsylvania 16%). The two grades for Lake Township are C− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Only 4% stay in Lake Township for work; outside it, Scranton is the main destination (5%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Lake Township stands out on work
Lake Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 26 across Pennsylvania. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 100 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Lake Township is a place people come home to
There are 479 jobs based in Lake Township, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Lake Township has about 3,700 people in it, 25% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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 figures behind Lake Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lake Township is better than 18% of U.S. towns, #962 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The poverty rate holds Lake Township’s grade up (12.3%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Lake Township could be anywhere from D to B−.
The trip to work from Lake Township: about 39 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,687 commuters (the 5% 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.
Who leaves Lake Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,616 residents head out to work, 72 work right here, and 407 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,700 people are in Lake Township on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.28 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.
Where in the region Lake Township works
About 35% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Where Lake Township goes to work
Where Lake Township clocks in
5% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Lake Township
479 jobs are based in Lake Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Township, 2013 → 2023: 492 → 479. 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 Lake Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Most trips from Lake Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lake Township is more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns, #702 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 3.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 8.6% across Pennsylvania, on an EPA index of 5.3.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,783 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 1.2% of Lake Township households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Lake Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,840 U.S. towns of 3,400 to 6,600, Lake Township comes 3,252nd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Wallace Township PA | 3,759 | $183K | 1.9% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Pocopson Township PA | 4,480 | $230K | 1.3% | 2.2% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,250 | Covington VA | 5,680 | $42K | 25.7% | 2.8% | 26% | C− |
| 3,251 | Mount Morris NY | 4,419 | $57K | 13.4% | 6.2% | 11% | C− |
| 3,252 | Lake Township PA | 4,910 | $60K | 12.3% | 8.8% | 4% | C− |
| 3,253 | Old Stine CA | 3,760 | $54K | 26.0% | 12.5% | <1% | C− |
| 3,254 | LaBelle FL | 5,754 | $53K | 17.2% | 4.4% | 17% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,840 | 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 Lake Township, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Lake Township and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Township | – | C− | C+ | 39 min | $59,873 |
| South Canaan Township | under 2% | C+ | C+ | 33 min | $77,273 |
| Jefferson Township | under 2% | B− | C− | 28 min | $92,234 |
| Salem Township | 5% | C− | A− | 28 min | $61,659 |
| Paupack Township | under 2% | C | C− | 39 min | $75,302 |
| Cherry Ridge Township | under 2% | B | B | 20 min | $80,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Salem Township. Darker towns draw more of Lake Township’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 Lake Township: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Township?
$59,873 (±$14,349) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Township?
12.3%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Township?
39 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Scranton (5%, 16 mi), Salem Township (5%, 4 mi), Honesdale (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Lake Township walkable?
Lake Township is more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 5.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lake Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lake Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Township
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.