Photo: Tricia Simpson · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in American Fork top those of 76% of U.S. towns
American Fork grades A− for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Below the poverty line: 7.3% of residents, where Utah as a whole has 8.5%. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 7.6 in Provo.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in American Fork: the figures worth knowing
American Fork is where the jobs are
American Fork has 24,588 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
A young workforce
35% of American Fork’s working residents are 29 or younger, about one in three. The jobs ↓
American Fork has added jobs fast
Jobs based in American Fork went from 16,599 in 2013 to 24,588 in 2023, +48%. The jobs ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in American Fork
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, American Fork is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #51 of 119 in Utah. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 83% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. 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, American Fork could be anywhere from B+ to A.
American Fork fills up on a workday
On a workday 13,347 residents head out to work, 1,929 work right here, and 22,659 people come in from elsewhere.
About 50,000 people are in American Fork on a workday afternoon, 23% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
What work there is in American Fork: 24,588 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in American Fork, 2013 → 2023: 16,599 → 24,588. 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 American Fork’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where the people who work in American Fork live
Where American Fork clocks in
13% of workers
10% of workers
9% 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 American Fork: about 23 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of American Fork workers work from home, vs 18% across Utah. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 15,296 commuters (the 18% who work from home are left out). Across Utah: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
American Fork’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.
Good to walk, short on transit: American Fork
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, American Fork is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns, #40 of 119 in Utah. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.0% across Utah.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 18,747 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 50% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 5% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 74% 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). 2.2% of American Fork households have no vehicle (Utah 4.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of American Fork’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,019 U.S. towns of 29,000 to 55,000, American Fork comes 306th on jobs and income
| # | 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% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Holladay UT | 31,162 | $117K | 4.1% | 2.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | Syracuse UT | 39,909 | $133K | 4.8% | 1.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Kaysville UT | 33,307 | $133K | 3.4% | 2.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 304 | West Falls Church VA | 31,279 | $135K | 7.9% | 4.9% | 3% | A− |
| 305 | Fair Oaks VA | 35,545 | $124K | 5.7% | 5.7% | 7% | A− |
| 306 | American Fork UT | 41,020 | $99K | 7.3% | 3.2% | 13% | A− |
| 307 | Claremont CA | 35,838 | $126K | 6.9% | 5.1% | 18% | A− |
| 308 | Franklin Town MA | 33,955 | $146K | 5.9% | 5.2% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,019 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 American Fork, the top three, the last and three more from Utah.
Bordering towns draw 23% of American Fork’s workers
The biggest share goes to Lehi (13%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | American Fork workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Fork | – | A− | A− | 23 min | $98,878 |
| Highland | under 2% | A | A− | 23 min | $186,075 |
| Lehi | 13% | A | B+ | 24 min | $131,299 |
| Pleasant Grove | 5% | A | B+ | 22 min | $101,073 |
| Cedar Hills | under 2% | A | B | 22 min | $139,008 |
| Lindon | 5% | A− | B+ | 20 min | $120,956 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of American Fork’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 American Fork: questions
What is the median household income in American Fork?
$98,878 (±$8,286) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,166 across Utah and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in American Fork?
7.3%, against 8.5% across Utah and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from American Fork?
23 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Utah and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in American Fork work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lehi (13%, 5 mi), Provo (10%, 12 mi), Orem (9%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is American Fork walkable?
American Fork is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 11.4 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around American Fork without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 5% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from American Fork, from the people who make the trip.
More of American Fork
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.