At 8.9%, unemployment in DeSoto is higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
DeSoto grades B for jobs and income and B for walkability. Only 5% work in DeSoto; the top destination outside it is Dallas (35%, 14 miles). The average commute takes 31 minutes each way (Texas 27, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set DeSoto apart
Income, poverty and work: DeSoto’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, DeSoto is better than 61% of U.S. towns, #245 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car holds DeSoto’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, DeSoto could be anywhere from B− to B+.
Out of DeSoto to work: where people go
Where DeSoto clocks in
6% of workers
5% 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 daily commute in and out of DeSoto
On a workday 24,719 residents head out to work, 1,281 work right here, and 13,397 people come in from elsewhere.
About 45,000 people are in DeSoto on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.56 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.
The kinds of work in DeSoto
14,678 jobs are based in DeSoto.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in DeSoto, 2013 → 2023: 12,305 → 14,678. 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 DeSoto’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from DeSoto: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of DeSoto workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 23,327 commuters (the 17% who work from home are left out). Across Texas: 83% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
DeSoto’s commute, mile by mile
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.
For most of DeSoto, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, DeSoto is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #219 of 642 in Texas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.0% across Texas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 28,103 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 44% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 26% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 57% 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). 4.1% of DeSoto households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of DeSoto’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, DeSoto is 447th among 773 U.S. towns of 40,000 to 77,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| 4 | Keller TX | 46,078 | $175K | 3.4% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Coppell TX | 41,386 | $146K | 5.4% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 445 | Rohnert Park CA | 44,811 | $99K | 10.5% | 5.1% | 12% | B |
| 446 | Jeffersonville IN | 54,134 | $71K | 11.2% | 4.0% | 22% | B |
| 447 | DeSoto TX | 56,681 | $83K | 7.6% | 8.9% | 5% | B |
| 448 | Moore OK | 63,609 | $80K | 11.4% | 4.7% | 11% | B |
| 449 | West Allis WI | 60,119 | $68K | 11.5% | 4.1% | 10% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 773 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 DeSoto, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
39% of DeSoto works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | DeSoto workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeSoto | – | B | B | 31 min | $82,782 |
| Duncanville | 2% | B− | B | 26 min | $76,457 |
| Glenn Heights | under 2% | B | C− | 33 min | $81,718 |
| Dallas | 35% | B− | A | 26 min | $70,518 |
| Cedar Hill | under 2% | B | B− | 31 min | $101,909 |
| Lancaster | 2% | C+ | C+ | 29 min | $68,302 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Dallas. Darker towns draw more of DeSoto’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 DeSoto: questions
What is the median household income in DeSoto?
$82,782 (±$7,478) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in DeSoto?
7.6%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from DeSoto?
31 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in DeSoto work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dallas (35%, 14 mi), Irving (6%, 19 mi), Arlington (5%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is DeSoto walkable?
DeSoto is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 10.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around DeSoto without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 26% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from DeSoto, from the people who make the trip.
More of DeSoto
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.