Photo: Flimbone08 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Murphy have higher incomes than those in 97% of U.S. towns
3.0% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 13.8% for Texas as a whole. Murphy grades A+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. 32% of workers work from home, where Texas as a whole has 14%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Murphy
A lot of Murphy works from home
32% of Murphy workers work from home, against 14% across Texas. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Murphy
72% of Murphy residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 37% of the jobs based in Murphy pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Murphy has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Murphy went from 2,157 in 2013 to 3,678 in 2023, +71%. The jobs ↓
A lot of Murphy works one town over
29% of working residents work in a town that borders Murphy: Plano (15%), Richardson (11%) and Wylie (3%). Next door ↓
Murphy workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 27 across Texas. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside Murphy’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Murphy is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #43 of 642 in Texas. Household income is its strongest input ($175,699, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Murphy could be anywhere from A to A+.
Each way, about 32 minutes from Murphy
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Murphy workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,376 commuters (the 32% 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.
What work there is in Murphy: 3,678 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Murphy, 2013 → 2023: 2,157 → 3,678. 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 Murphy’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Murphy
On a workday 10,113 residents head out to work, 270 work right here, and 3,408 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Murphy on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
0.35 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.
22% of working residents work in Dallas
Where Murphy clocks in
11% 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.
Murphy’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.
Most of Murphy commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Murphy is more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns, #195 of 642 in Texas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 10,849 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 1.7% of Murphy households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Murphy’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Murphy is 122nd among 1,705 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 28,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Colleyville TX | 25,727 | $218K | 2.5% | 3.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Corinth TX | 25,297 | $121K | 3.5% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 40 | Bellaire TX | 17,434 | $244K | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Mineola NY | 21,376 | $138K | 5.3% | 3.2% | 9% | A+ |
| 121 | Springboro OH | 19,606 | $120K | 2.8% | 2.6% | 8% | A+ |
| 122 | Murphy TX | 20,985 | $176K | 3.0% | 4.2% | 3% | A+ |
| 123 | Pewaukee WI | 16,375 | $108K | 3.7% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| 124 | Scarsdale NY | 18,194 | $250K | 2.9% | 4.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,705 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Murphy, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
Murphy and its neighbors: 29% work next door
The biggest share goes to Plano (15%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Murphy workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murphy | – | A+ | B | 32 min | $175,699 |
| Sachse | under 3% | A | B | 30 min | $131,808 |
| Plano | 15% | A | A− | 25 min | $112,253 |
| Parker | under 3% | A+ | C | 27 min | $229,080 |
| Wylie | 3% | A | B− | 31 min | $119,522 |
| Richardson | 11% | B+ | A | 24 min | $98,111 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Murphy’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 Murphy: questions
What is the median household income in Murphy?
$175,699 (±$16,778) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Murphy?
3.0%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Murphy?
32 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Murphy work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dallas (22%, 18 mi), Plano (15%, 8 mi), Richardson (11%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Murphy walkable?
Murphy is more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Murphy without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Murphy, from the people who make the trip.
More of Murphy
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.