Households in Friendswood earn more than those in 91% of U.S. towns
3.6% of residents live below the poverty line, where Texas as a whole has 13.8%. The two grades for Friendswood are A for jobs and income and B for walkability. About one in ten work in Friendswood itself; outside it, Houston draws the most (38%, 22 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Friendswood in brief
Much of Friendswood works one town over
53% of working residents work in a town that borders Friendswood: Houston (38%), League City (5%) and Pearland (4%). Next door ↓
Friendswood has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Friendswood went from 6,242 in 2014 to 9,937 in 2024, +59%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Friendswood
70% of Friendswood residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 46% of the jobs based in Friendswood pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 91% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside Friendswood’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Friendswood is better than 92% of U.S. towns, #67 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car holds Friendswood’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Friendswood could be anywhere from A− to A+.
What work there is in Friendswood: 9,937 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Friendswood, 2014 → 2024: 6,242 → 9,937. 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 Friendswood’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Friendswood quiets down on a workday
On a workday 16,611 residents head out to work, 1,565 work right here, and 8,372 people come in from elsewhere.
About 33,000 people are in Friendswood on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.55 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 2024, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Friendswood’s residents
Where Friendswood clocks in
38% 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.
How long Friendswood spends getting to work: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Friendswood workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 15,876 commuters (the 18% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Friendswood
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.
Friendswood is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Friendswood is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns, #237 of 642 in Texas. Both inputs place Friendswood 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 19,386 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.8% of Friendswood households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Friendswood’s commuters take a bus or train.
127th of 1,037: where Friendswood ranks among U.S. towns of 29,000 to 56,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Keller TX | 46,078 | $175K | 3.4% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Coppell TX | 41,386 | $146K | 5.4% | 2.6% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 125 | Upper Macungie Township PA | 29,600 | $121K | 3.2% | 3.7% | 12% | A |
| 126 | Billerica MA | 42,632 | $148K | 5.4% | 3.8% | 12% | A |
| 127 | Friendswood TX | 41,319 | $127K | 3.6% | 4.4% | 9% | A |
| 128 | Clarksburg MD | 30,487 | $177K | 3.8% | 4.4% | 4% | A |
| 129 | San Carlos CA | 29,261 | $237K | 3.3% | 5.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,037 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | 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 Friendswood, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
53% of Friendswood works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Friendswood workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendswood | – | A | B | 29 min | $126,508 |
| League City | 5% | A | B− | 30 min | $121,099 |
| Pearland | 4% | A+ | B− | 33 min | $118,842 |
| Webster | 4% | C+ | B | 28 min | $61,264 |
| Alvin | 2% | B | C | 29 min | $71,477 |
| Houston | 38% | C+ | A | 27 min | $64,813 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Houston. Darker towns draw more of Friendswood’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 Friendswood: questions
What is the median household income in Friendswood?
$126,508 (±$8,024) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Friendswood?
3.6%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Friendswood?
29 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Friendswood work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Houston (38%, 22 mi), League City (5%, 6 mi), Pasadena (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Friendswood walkable?
Friendswood is more walkable than 56% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Friendswood without a car?
1% 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 Friendswood, from the people who make the trip.
More of Friendswood
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.