Photo: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia · Public domainAt 8.2%, unemployment in West Mifflin is higher than in 89% of U.S. towns
About one in ten stay in West Mifflin for work; outside it, Pittsburgh is the main destination (30%, 7 miles). The two grades for West Mifflin are B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. At 26 minutes each way, commutes from West Mifflin run about the Pennsylvania average.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: West Mifflin in brief
Most West Mifflin residents work close to home
68% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. Only 8% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
West Mifflin is where the jobs are
West Mifflin has 13,699 jobs, 1.5 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
West Mifflin draws workers from far and wide
The 13,699 jobs in West Mifflin are filled from a wide area. West Mifflin’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 27%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
30% of West Mifflin works in Pittsburgh
2,744 working residents, 30%, have their main job in Pittsburgh, 6.8 miles away across the town line. That’s 3 times as many as work in West Mifflin itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for West Mifflin
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Mifflin is better than 47% of U.S. towns, #718 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. Job access by car holds West Mifflin’s grade up (ahead of 86% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Mifflin could be anywhere from C to B+.
West Mifflin’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The workday shuffle in and out of West Mifflin
On a workday 8,048 residents head out to work, 978 work right here, and 12,721 people come in from elsewhere.
About 23,000 people are in West Mifflin on a workday afternoon, 25% more than live here.
1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in West Mifflin, and from where
Where West Mifflin clocks in
30% of workers
3% 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.
66% of the jobs in West Mifflin pay over $3,333 a month
13,699 jobs are based in West Mifflin.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Mifflin, 2014 → 2024: 13,731 → 13,699. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Mifflin’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From West Mifflin, about 26 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Mifflin workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,847 commuters (the 15% 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.
Getting around
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 9,268 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 86% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 39% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 10.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% 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). 10.3% of West Mifflin households have no vehicle (Pennsylvania 10.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of West Mifflin’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,915 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000, West Mifflin comes 1,265th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Lower Moreland Township PA | 14,116 | $154K | 2.6% | 2.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | West Whiteland Township PA | 20,826 | $133K | 3.0% | 1.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Skippack Township PA | 14,502 | $148K | 2.5% | 2.4% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,263 | Hermitage PA | 16,308 | $70K | 10.9% | 4.9% | 29% | B− |
| 1,264 | Prunedale CA | 19,723 | $104K | 11.1% | 8.5% | 7% | B− |
| 1,265 | West Mifflin PA | 18,707 | $77K | 11.2% | 8.2% | 11% | B− |
| 1,266 | Springfield Township OH | 14,240 | $66K | 8.5% | 7.0% | 5% | B− |
| 1,267 | Gibsonton FL | 18,754 | $84K | 17.2% | 5.4% | 4% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 West Mifflin, the top three, the last and three more from Pennsylvania.
Bordering towns draw 37% of West Mifflin’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Mifflin workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Mifflin | – | B− | A | 26 min | $76,563 |
| Dravosburg | under 2% | C+ | A+ | 23 min | $51,715 |
| Munhall | 1% | C | A+ | 24 min | $52,517 |
| Duquesne | under 2% | C− | A+ | 31 min | $44,180 |
| Pittsburgh | 30% | C+ | A+ | 23 min | $65,742 |
| Baldwin | under 2% | A− | A− | 26 min | $80,983 |
| Glassport | under 2% | C− | A | 26 min | $47,803 |
| Jefferson Hills | 2% | A− | C | 25 min | $116,064 |
| Whitaker | under 2% | C+ | A− | 25 min | $63,194 |
| McKeesport | 2% | D | A+ | 27 min | $34,219 |
| Pleasant Hills | 2% | A− | A | 27 min | $102,167 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Pittsburgh. Darker towns draw more of West Mifflin’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 2024, 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 West Mifflin: questions
What is the median household income in West Mifflin?
$76,563 (±$9,410) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Mifflin?
11.2%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Mifflin?
26 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Mifflin work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pittsburgh (30%, 7 mi), Monroeville (3%, 9 mi), Jefferson Hills (2%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Mifflin walkable?
West Mifflin is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.7 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Mifflin without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 39% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Mifflin, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Mifflin
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.