Photo: Mtruch · CC BY-SA 3.0At 8.9%, unemployment in Upper Darby Township is higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
Commuters spend 32 minutes getting to work on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. The two grades for Upper Darby Township are C+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Only 7% work in Upper Darby Township itself; outside it, Philadelphia draws the most (31%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Upper Darby Township
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Upper Darby Township’s working residents have a job less than 7 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 32 minutes, longer than the Pennsylvania average of 26. Time on the road ↓
Upper Darby Township and Philadelphia trade workers both ways
Philadelphia is the top workplace for Upper Darby Township residents (31%) and also where the most people who work in Upper Darby Township come from (27% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most Upper Darby Township residents work close to home
66% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. Only 7% work more than 50 miles away. 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Upper Darby Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Upper Darby Township is better than 42% of U.S. towns, #759 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds Upper Darby Township’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Upper Darby Township could be anywhere from C+ to B−.
Commuting from Upper Darby Township: about 32 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Upper Darby Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 37,517 commuters (the 13% 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.
The places Upper Darby Township commutes to
Where Upper Darby Township clocks in
31% of workers
5% of workers
3% 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.
The distance from Upper Darby Township 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 and out of Upper Darby Township on a workday
On a workday 34,451 residents head out to work, 2,788 work right here, and 14,266 people come in from elsewhere.
About 65,000 people are in Upper Darby Township on a workday afternoon, 24% fewer than live here.
0.46 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.
Inside Upper Darby Township’s 17,054 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Upper Darby Township, 2013 → 2023: 17,134 → 17,054. 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 Upper Darby Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Upper Darby Township is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Upper Darby Township is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #22 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Both inputs place Upper Darby Township 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 43,311 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, 80% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 27.2 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). 14.1% of Upper Darby Township households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 15% of Upper Darby Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Upper Darby Township is 402nd of 531 U.S. towns of 60,000 to 115,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 83 | Lower Merion Township PA | 64,691 | $177K | 6.3% | 4.9% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 267 | Bensalem Township PA | 62,783 | $85K | 11.9% | 4.8% | 15% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 400 | East Los Angeles CA | 111,647 | $69K | 17.3% | 6.8% | 5% | C+ |
| 401 | Chico CA | 105,081 | $67K | 22.7% | 6.8% | 53% | C+ |
| 402 | Upper Darby Township PA | 85,458 | $71K | 14.4% | 8.9% | 7% | C+ |
| 403 | Duluth MN | 88,330 | $69K | 16.8% | 4.7% | 63% | C+ |
| 404 | Medford OR | 86,494 | $73K | 13.2% | 5.3% | 55% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 417 | Bethlehem PA | 79,644 | $69K | 15.7% | 6.6% | 20% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 531 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Upper Darby Township, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
35% of Upper Darby Township works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Upper Darby Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Darby Township | – | C+ | A+ | 32 min | $71,481 |
| Philadelphia | 31% | C | A+ | 32 min | $61,953 |
| Clifton Heights | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 32 min | $70,931 |
| Springfield Township | 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $138,205 |
| Lansdowne | under 2% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $73,232 |
| Aldan | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 42 min | $74,514 |
| Yeadon | under 2% | C | A+ | 32 min | $49,759 |
| Haverford Township | 2% | A | A+ | 27 min | $131,674 |
| Ridley Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $92,835 |
| Millbourne | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 31 min | $54,219 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Philadelphia. Darker towns draw more of Upper Darby 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 Upper Darby Township: questions
What is the median household income in Upper Darby Township?
$71,481 (±$4,188) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Upper Darby Township?
14.4%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Upper Darby Township?
32 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Upper Darby Township work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Philadelphia (31%, 9 mi), Lower Merion Township (5%, 6 mi), Upper Merion Township (3%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Upper Darby Township walkable?
Upper Darby Township is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.0 out of 20, and 19% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Upper Darby Township without a car?
15% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. 80% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Upper Darby Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Upper Darby 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.