Photo: Ugen64 at English Wikipedia · Public domainHousehold incomes in Swarthmore are higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 7.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.7 in Philadelphia. 1.8% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 11.7% for Pennsylvania as a whole. The two grades for Swarthmore are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Swarthmore and work: the main findings
Swarthmore and Philadelphia trade workers both ways
Philadelphia is the top workplace for Swarthmore residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Swarthmore come from (17% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Swarthmore
76% of Swarthmore residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 56% of the jobs based in Swarthmore pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 90% 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.
Where Swarthmore’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Swarthmore is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #210 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. The poverty rate holds Swarthmore’s grade up; unemployment pulls it down (7.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Swarthmore could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
33% of working residents work in Philadelphia
Where Swarthmore clocks in
33% of workers
2% 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.
Jobs in Swarthmore: what the 2,992 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Swarthmore, 2013 → 2023: 2,226 → 2,992. 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 Swarthmore’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily commute in and out of Swarthmore
On a workday 2,036 residents head out to work, 225 work right here, and 2,767 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,300 people are in Swarthmore on a workday afternoon, 11% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.32 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.
A commute of about 26 minutes in Swarthmore
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Swarthmore workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,246 commuters (the 21% 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 Swarthmore’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.
Swarthmore 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, Swarthmore is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #21 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Swarthmore 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 2,846 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 16% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 5.4% of Swarthmore households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Swarthmore’s commuters take a bus or train.
Swarthmore next to U.S. towns of 4,600 to 8,900: 548th of 3,283 on jobs and income
| # | 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 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | West Vincent Township PA | 6,885 | $203K | 1.4% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Upper Nazareth Township PA | 8,521 | $122K | 1.2% | 0.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 546 | Monticello IL | 6,080 | $99K | 5.7% | 0.5% | 23% | A |
| 547 | Crestwood KY | 6,582 | $108K | 8.1% | 2.7% | 3% | A |
| 548 | Swarthmore PA | 6,561 | $152K | 1.8% | 7.7% | 10% | A |
| 549 | Mayo MD | 8,694 | $155K | 4.6% | 4.0% | 5% | A |
| 550 | Saranap CA | 5,662 | $157K | 4.1% | 6.0% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,283 | 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 Swarthmore, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Swarthmore and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Nether Providence Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Swarthmore workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swarthmore | – | A | A+ | 26 min | $152,361 |
| Nether Providence Township | 2% | A | A | 31 min | $150,950 |
| Springfield Township | 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $138,205 |
| Ridley Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $92,835 |
| Folsom | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Woodlyn | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Folsom and Woodlyn: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Swarthmore’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 Swarthmore: questions
What is the median household income in Swarthmore?
$152,361 (±$53,472) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Swarthmore?
1.8%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Swarthmore?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Swarthmore work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (33%, 14 mi), Springfield Township (2%, 2 mi), Radnor Township (2%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Swarthmore walkable?
Swarthmore is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.0 out of 20, and 42% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Swarthmore without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 16% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Swarthmore, from the people who make the trip.
More of Swarthmore
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.