Willow Street at work: jobs, income and the commute
The average commute takes 30 minutes each way, next to 26 for Pennsylvania and 26 for the U.S. Only 7% work in Willow Street; the top destination outside it is Lancaster (13%, 4 miles). 3,817 jobs are based in Willow Street for 3,464 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Willow Street
Willow Street trades workers with the towns around it
Willow Street has about as many jobs (3,817) as working residents (3,464), but they are mostly different people: 3,211 residents leave for work each day while 3,564 people come in. Only 7% of the jobs in Willow Street are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Willow Street’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 30 minutes, longer than the Pennsylvania average of 26. Time on the road ↓
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.
Who works in Willow Street, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 3,211 residents head out to work, 253 work right here, and 3,564 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.10 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Time on the road from Willow Street: about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Willow Street workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,510 commuters (the 17% 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.
Where people from Willow Street work
Where Willow Street clocks in
9% of workers
7% 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 kinds of work in Willow Street
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Willow Street, 2014 → 2024: 3,993 → 3,817. 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 Willow Street’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Willow Street works
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.
16% of Willow Street works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Willow Street workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow Street | – | — | — | 30 min | $109,675 |
| Lampeter | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Pequea Township | 3% | A+ | C− | 27 min | $109,447 |
| Lancaster | 13% | C | A | 24 min | $63,690 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lampeter: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Lancaster. Darker towns draw more of Willow Street’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 Willow Street: questions
What is the median household income in Willow Street?
$109,675 (±$8,532) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Willow Street?
3.3%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Willow Street?
30 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Willow Street work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lancaster (13%, 4 mi), West Lampeter Township (9%, 1 mi), Manheim Township (7%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Willow Street without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Willow Street, from the people who make the trip.
More of Willow Street
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.