Oak Leaf has higher household incomes than 92% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 2.8%, where Texas as a whole has 13.8%. Oak Leaf grades A+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Hardly any work in Oak Leaf; the top destination outside it is Dallas (29%, 20 miles).
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 Oak Leaf
Oak Leaf is a place people come home to
There are 31 jobs based in Oak Leaf, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Oak Leaf has about 840 people in it, 50% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Oak Leaf and Dallas trade workers both ways
Dallas is the top workplace for Oak Leaf residents (29%) and also where the most people who work in Oak Leaf come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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; with 873 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Oak Leaf
On income, poverty and job access, Oak Leaf is among the top U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Oak Leaf’s grade. It also does well on household income and job access by car.
Unemployment (5.5%) is left out: Oak Leaf’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Oak Leaf could be anywhere from A to A+.
How a workday changes Oak Leaf
On a workday 871 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 29 people come in from elsewhere.
About 840 people are in Oak Leaf on a workday afternoon, 50% fewer than live here.
0.04 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.
Where Oak Leaf’s working residents head each day
Where Oak Leaf 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.
Goods jobs make up 39% of work in Oak Leaf
31 jobs are based in Oak Leaf.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oak Leaf, 2013 → 2023: 25 → 31. 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 Oak Leaf’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Oak Leaf’s commute takes about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oak Leaf workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 753 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.
Half of Oak Leaf commutes less than 21 miles
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 trips from Oak Leaf start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Oak Leaf is more walkable than 25% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any 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 917 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). 2.3% of Oak Leaf households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Oak Leaf’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Oak Leaf is 26th of 5,760 U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Seis Lagos TX | 1,391 | $249K | 1.2% | 4.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Tower Lakes IL | 1,201 | $154K | 2.0% | 2.8% | <1% | A+ |
| 25 | Rollingwood TX | 1,466 | $240K | 4.6% | 2.4% | 3% | A+ |
| 26 | Oak Leaf TX | 1,684 | $132K | 2.8% | 5.5% | <1% | A+ |
| 27 | Louisville Township MN | 1,361 | $143K | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1% | A+ |
| 28 | Serenada TX | 1,444 | $155K | 1.5% | 2.6% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Southside Place TX | 1,916 | $163K | 5.0% | 5.4% | 2% | A+ |
| 31 | Shoreacres TX | 1,535 | $131K | 3.2% | 2.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,760 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Oak Leaf, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
Oak Leaf and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Red Oak (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oak Leaf workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Leaf | – | A+ | C− | 25 min | $131,806 |
| Glenn Heights | under 3% | B | C− | 33 min | $81,718 |
| Ovilla | under 3% | A− | D | 32 min | $131,434 |
| Red Oak | 3% | A− | C− | 27 min | $104,561 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Oak Leaf’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 Oak Leaf: questions
What is the median household income in Oak Leaf?
$131,806 (±$33,847) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oak Leaf?
2.8%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oak Leaf?
25 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oak Leaf work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dallas (29%, 20 mi), Waxahachie (6%, 7 mi), Fort Worth (5%, 35 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Oak Leaf walkable?
Oak Leaf is more walkable than 25% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 7.2 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Oak Leaf without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oak Leaf, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oak Leaf
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.