Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY 3.0With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of McDonald works elsewhere
McDonald grades B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability. 587 jobs are based in McDonald, and 1,038 of its residents work somewhere. Only 5% work in McDonald itself; outside it, Pittsburgh draws the most (14%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets McDonald apart on work
McDonald has added jobs fast
Jobs based in McDonald went from 334 in 2013 to 587 in 2023, +76%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside McDonald
62% of McDonald residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 43% of the jobs based in McDonald pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside McDonald’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, McDonald is better than 69% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds McDonald’s grade up (ahead of 81% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($65,625, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, McDonald could be anywhere from C+ to A.
The kinds of work in McDonald
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in McDonald, 2013 → 2023: 334 → 587. 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 McDonald’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily commute in and out of McDonald
On a workday 989 residents head out to work, 49 work right here, and 538 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,500 people are in McDonald on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The places McDonald commutes to
Where McDonald clocks in
14% 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.
About 26 minutes to work from McDonald
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of McDonald workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 895 commuters (the 14% 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 far McDonald goes 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 McDonald, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, McDonald is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place McDonald 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 1,037 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.5% of McDonald households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of McDonald’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,234th of 5,509: where McDonald ranks among U.S. towns of 1,400 to 2,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Newtown PA | 2,257 | $166K | 2.0% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 31 | Edgeworth PA | 1,611 | $203K | 3.0% | 3.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | West Conshohocken PA | 1,498 | $139K | 5.0% | 1.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,232 | Epworth IA | 2,037 | $84K | 5.2% | 2.4% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,233 | Turner OR | 2,412 | $102K | 3.9% | 6.8% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,234 | McDonald PA | 1,994 | $66K | 8.0% | 2.8% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,235 | East Berlin PA | 1,582 | $74K | 6.5% | 8.2% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,236 | Juniata Township PA | 1,562 | $92K | 2.0% | 1.3% | <1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,509 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 McDonald, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Next door is work for 10% of McDonald
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | McDonald workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald | – | B+ | A | 26 min | $65,625 |
| Robinson Township | 2% | B | B− | 27 min | $82,700 |
| North Fayette Township | 5% | A | B+ | 26 min | $102,318 |
| Cecil Township | 3% | A | C | 27 min | $105,303 |
| South Fayette Township | under 2% | A+ | C+ | 28 min | $124,112 |
| Sturgeon | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Sturgeon: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to North Fayette Township. Darker towns draw more of McDonald’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 McDonald: questions
What is the median household income in McDonald?
$65,625 (±$7,135) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in McDonald?
8.0%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from McDonald?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in McDonald work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (14%, 14 mi), North Fayette Township (5%, 4 mi), Robinson Township (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is McDonald walkable?
McDonald is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.4 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around McDonald without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from McDonald, from the people who make the trip.
More of McDonald
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.