With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Robinson works elsewhere
Measured by household income, Robinson is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. There are 1,976 jobs in Robinson, and 6,005 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn Robinson B+; getting around on foot earns it C.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Robinson
44% of Robinson works in Waco
2,627 working residents, 44%, have their main job in Waco, 8.3 miles away across the town line. That’s 9 times as many as work in Robinson itself. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Robinson are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 27 across Texas. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Texas worker. Time on the road ↓
Robinson has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Robinson went from 1,298 in 2013 to 1,976 in 2023, +52%. The jobs ↓
Robinson empties out on a workday
About 9,000 people are in Robinson on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than the 13,000 who live here: 5,700 head out to work and 1,700 come in. Day and night ↓
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.
The figures behind Robinson’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Robinson is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #199 of 642 in Texas. The poverty rate holds Robinson’s grade up (3.7%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down (6.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Robinson could be anywhere from B− to A.
44% of working residents work in Waco
Where Robinson clocks in
4% 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.
Commuting from Robinson: about 19 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Robinson workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,378 commuters (the 9% 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 Robinson’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Robinson, 2013 → 2023: 1,298 → 1,976. 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 Robinson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Robinson on a workday
On a workday 5,734 residents head out to work, 271 work right here, and 1,705 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,000 people are in Robinson on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Robinson’s commute, mile by mile
About 30% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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 Robinson commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Robinson is more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns, #489 of 642 in Texas. Both inputs place Robinson 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 5,923 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). 2.4% of Robinson households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Robinson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Robinson next to U.S. towns of 9,000 to 18,000: 1,067th of 2,526 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Lantana TX | 12,766 | $199K | 0.6% | 2.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Bellaire TX | 17,434 | $244K | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,065 | Plainville MA | 10,175 | $104K | 7.4% | 6.4% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,066 | Oak Grove SC | 12,256 | $75K | 12.6% | 2.0% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,067 | Robinson TX | 13,028 | $99K | 3.7% | 6.6% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,068 | Alden NY | 10,262 | $91K | 5.0% | 5.5% | 13% | B+ |
| 1,069 | Northbridge MA | 16,799 | $111K | 7.9% | 6.1% | 11% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,526 | 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 Robinson, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
46% of Robinson works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Waco (44%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Robinson’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 Robinson: questions
What is the median household income in Robinson?
$99,289 (±$12,095) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Robinson?
3.7%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Robinson?
19 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Robinson work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waco (44%, 8 mi), Austin (4%, 88 mi), Temple (4%, 29 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Robinson walkable?
Robinson is more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Robinson 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 Robinson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Robinson
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.