Photo: Dllu · CC BY-SA 4.0Pittsburgh draws 216,768 commuters a day, with 2.3 jobs for every working resident
There are 282,704 jobs in Pittsburgh, and 120,511 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn Pittsburgh C+; getting around on foot earns it A+. More than half stay in Pittsburgh for work; outside it, Ross Township is the main destination (2%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Pittsburgh, in brief
Pittsburgh is where the jobs are
Pittsburgh has 282,704 jobs, 2.4 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 470,000 people are in town, 53% more than the 308,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Pittsburgh draws workers from far and wide
The 282,704 jobs in Pittsburgh are filled from a wide area. Pittsburgh’s own residents hold 23% and the ten next-biggest home towns 13%; the other 64% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Most jobs in Pittsburgh pay over $40,000 a year
74% of the jobs based in Pittsburgh pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Nearly all the work in Pittsburgh is services
88% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 4% are in factories, building or farms. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Pittsburgh’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Pittsburgh is better than 39% of U.S. towns, #791 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Pittsburgh’s grade up (ahead of 93% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (20.1%, U.S. 12.5%).
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Pittsburgh stays C+.
Who works in Pittsburgh, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 54,575 residents head out to work and 65,936 work right here.
About 470,000 people are in Pittsburgh on a workday afternoon, 53% more 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.
Commuting in to Pittsburgh: where workers come from
Where Pittsburgh clocks in
2% of workers
2% of workers
1% 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.
Most jobs in Pittsburgh are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pittsburgh, 2013 → 2023: 269,954 → 282,704. 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 Pittsburgh’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 23 minutes to work from Pittsburgh
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pittsburgh workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 121,253 commuters (the 22% 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 Pittsburgh’s workers travel
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.
Pittsburgh is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Pittsburgh is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #10 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Pittsburgh 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 156,165 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 99% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 78% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 37.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 20.6% of Pittsburgh households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 15% of Pittsburgh’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
59th of 70: where Pittsburgh ranks among U.S. towns of 215,000 to 415,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Hempstead NY | 238,982 | $158K | 4.5% | 4.1% | 20% | A |
| 2 | Oyster Bay NY | 301,115 | $160K | 3.9% | 4.6% | 19% | A |
| 3 | Frisco TX | 236,955 | $150K | 3.6% | 4.6% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | San Bernardino CA | 222,044 | $67K | 18.6% | 6.1% | 20% | C+ |
| 58 | St. Louis MO | 278,144 | $56K | 20.6% | 5.0% | 39% | C+ |
| 59 | Pittsburgh PA | 307,632 | $66K | 20.1% | 6.1% | 55% | C+ |
| 60 | Fort Wayne IN | 275,203 | $61K | 16.0% | 5.6% | 60% | C+ |
| 61 | Lubbock TX | 273,071 | $61K | 18.9% | 5.2% | 72% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 70 | Cleveland OH | 363,608 | $41K | 30.6% | 10.8% | 42% | C− |
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 Pittsburgh, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Work in the towns next to Pittsburgh
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pittsburgh workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | – | C+ | A+ | 23 min | $65,742 |
| Baldwin | under 1% | A− | A− | 26 min | $80,983 |
| Penn Hills | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Township | 2% | A− | A− | 24 min | $92,642 |
| Green Tree | 1% | A | A | 22 min | $92,422 |
| Baldwin Township | under 1% | A | A | 26 min | $89,931 |
| Reserve Township | under 1% | A− | A | 24 min | $81,724 |
| Crafton | under 1% | B− | A+ | 24 min | $64,006 |
| Ingram | under 1% | B | A | 20 min | $71,154 |
| Wilkinsburg | under 1% | C− | A+ | 30 min | $46,416 |
| West Mifflin | 1% | B− | A | 26 min | $76,563 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Ross Township. Darker towns draw more of Pittsburgh’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 Pittsburgh: questions
What is the median household income in Pittsburgh?
$65,742 (±$1,484) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pittsburgh?
20.1%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pittsburgh?
23 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pittsburgh work?
55% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ross Township (2%, 6 mi), Robinson Township (2%, 8 mi), Monroeville (1%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Pittsburgh walkable?
Pittsburgh is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.0 out of 20, and 29% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Pittsburgh without a car?
15% of commuters take transit and 21% of households have no car. 78% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pittsburgh, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pittsburgh
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.