Photo: Coemgenus · CC BY-SA 3.0Where Thorndale earns its living
Working residents average 26 minutes each way, about the same as across Pennsylvania. Hardly any work in Thorndale itself; outside it, Philadelphia draws the most (7%, 33 miles). Employers in Thorndale report 1,088 jobs, against 1,820 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Thorndale: the gist
The better-paid jobs are outside Thorndale
71% of Thorndale residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 39% of the jobs based in Thorndale pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 99% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Thorndale pay little
30% of the jobs based in Thorndale pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 30% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
42% of the jobs in Thorndale are in trade, transport and utilities, against 15% of the jobs its residents hold. 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.
What Thorndale’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Thorndale, 2013 → 2023: 1,340 → 1,088. 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 Thorndale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily commute in and out of Thorndale
On a workday 1,808 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 1,076 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,100 people are in Thorndale on a workday afternoon, 19% fewer than live here.
0.60 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.
Out of Thorndale to work: where people go
Where Thorndale clocks in
7% of workers
6% 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.
Getting to work from Thorndale takes about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Thorndale workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,697 commuters (the 20% 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.
Miles to work from Thorndale
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.
Around Thorndale: the bordering towns
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Thorndale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorndale | – | — | — | 26 min | $99,479 |
| West Bradford Township | under 3% | A | C+ | 27 min | $160,514 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Thorndale’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 Thorndale: questions
What is the median household income in Thorndale?
$99,479 (±$25,025) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Thorndale?
2.4%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Thorndale?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Thorndale work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (7%, 33 mi), Tredyffrin Township (6%, 17 mi), West Goshen Township (5%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Thorndale without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Thorndale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Thorndale
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.