Photo: Grguy2011 · CC BY-SA 3.0For more than half of its working residents, Pearland is a commute to Houston
About one in ten work in Pearland itself; outside it, Houston draws the most (51%, 16 miles). Pearland grades A+ for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Measured by household income, Pearland is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Pearland in brief
More than half of Pearland works in Houston
31,694 working residents, 51%, have their main job in Houston, 16 miles away across the town line. That’s 5 times as many as work in Pearland itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Pearland
71% of Pearland residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 48% of the jobs based in Pearland pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 90% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Pearland has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Pearland went from 24,237 in 2013 to 36,640 in 2023, +51%. The jobs ↓
Pearland workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 27 across Texas. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 46 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Pearland
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Pearland is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #45 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Pearland could be anywhere from A to A+.
Out of Pearland to work: where people go
Where Pearland clocks in
51% 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.
Jobs in Pearland: what the 36,640 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pearland, 2013 → 2023: 24,237 → 36,640. 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 Pearland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 33 minutes each way for Pearland’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pearland workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 54,812 commuters (the 14% 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.
How a workday changes Pearland
On a workday 55,873 residents head out to work, 5,887 work right here, and 30,753 people come in from elsewhere.
About 105,000 people are in Pearland on a workday afternoon, 19% fewer than live here.
0.59 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.
How many miles Pearland commutes
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 Pearland, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Pearland is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns, #258 of 642 in Texas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.1% 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 64,009 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 Pearland households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Pearland’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Pearland ranks: 4th of 293 U.S. towns of 91,000 to 175,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 2 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Fishers IN | 104,812 | $130K | 4.0% | 2.8% | 14% | A+ |
| 4 | Pearland TX | 129,930 | $119K | 4.1% | 3.3% | 10% | A+ |
| 5 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A+ |
| 6 | Highlands Ranch CO | 102,257 | $159K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Allen TX | 113,447 | $131K | 6.1% | 3.7% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Sugar Land TX | 107,726 | $136K | 5.5% | 4.1% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Leander TX | 91,132 | $139K | 5.8% | 3.4% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 293 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | 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 Pearland, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
Next door is work for 53% of Pearland
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pearland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearland | – | A+ | B− | 33 min | $118,842 |
| Houston | 51% | C+ | A | 27 min | $64,813 |
| Brookside Village | under 1% | A | B | 27 min | $110,833 |
| Manvel | under 1% | A− | C | 35 min | $118,808 |
| Friendswood | under 1% | A | B | 29 min | $126,508 |
| Alvin | 2% | B | C | 29 min | $71,477 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Houston. Darker towns draw more of Pearland’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 Pearland: questions
What is the median household income in Pearland?
$118,842 (±$4,906) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pearland?
4.1%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pearland?
33 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pearland work?
10% work in town.
Is Pearland walkable?
Pearland is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Pearland without a car?
1% 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 Pearland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pearland
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.