Photo: An Errant Knight · CC BY-SA 4.0West Jordan’s household incomes are higher than in 82% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 5.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 14.8 in Salt Lake City. Below the poverty line: 6.1% of residents, next to 8.5% across Utah. Jobs and income earn West Jordan A; getting around on foot earns it A−.
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 West Jordan
A lot of West Jordan works one town over
31% of working residents work in a town that borders West Jordan: West Valley City (9%), Sandy (6%) and South Jordan (5%). Next door ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of West Jordan’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 24 minutes, longer than the Utah average of 22. Time on the road ↓
Most West Jordan residents work close to home
61% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. Only 3% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
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.
Why West Jordan gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Jordan is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #42 of 119 in Utah. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 89% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.8%, 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, West Jordan could be anywhere from A− to A.
From West Jordan, about 24 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Jordan workers work from home, vs 18% across Utah. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 51,030 commuters (the 19% 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.
The distance from West Jordan to work
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.
The daily flow of workers through West Jordan
On a workday 55,332 residents head out to work, 6,135 work right here, and 30,864 people come in from elsewhere.
About 92,000 people are in West Jordan on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.60 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.
25% of working residents work in Salt Lake City
Where West Jordan clocks in
25% of workers
6% 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.
What West Jordan’s employers do
36,999 jobs are based in West Jordan.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Jordan, 2013 → 2023: 28,087 → 36,999. 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 West Jordan’s own residents hold wherever they work.
West Jordan is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Jordan is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #37 of 119 in Utah. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.9% 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 63,262 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 68% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 20% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 5.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 86% 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). 2.7% of West Jordan households have no vehicle (Utah 4.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of West Jordan’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
West Jordan places 51st of 359 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 82,000 to 158,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 3 | Clay Township IN | 104,932 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Sandy UT | 92,386 | $112K | 5.5% | 2.6% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | Lehi UT | 95,313 | $131K | 5.0% | 4.0% | 17% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Redmond WA | 82,506 | $163K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 32% | A |
| 50 | Plainfield Township IL | 85,115 | $127K | 4.7% | 5.0% | 8% | A |
| 51 | West Jordan UT | 116,812 | $108K | 6.1% | 3.8% | 10% | A |
| 52 | The Woodlands TX | 121,002 | $141K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 15% | A |
| 53 | Columbia MD | 104,338 | $131K | 7.5% | 4.2% | 17% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 359 | 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 West Jordan, the top three, the last and three more from Utah.
Work next door: 31% of West Jordan’s workers
The biggest share goes to West Valley City (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Jordan workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Jordan | – | A | A− | 24 min | $108,153 |
| Midvale | 3% | B+ | A+ | 21 min | $75,084 |
| Taylorsville | 3% | B+ | A− | 22 min | $86,413 |
| South Jordan | 5% | A+ | A | 24 min | $134,047 |
| Sandy | 6% | A | A− | 23 min | $112,176 |
| Murray | 5% | A− | A | 21 min | $90,746 |
| West Valley City | 9% | B+ | A | 23 min | $92,209 |
| Kearns | under 3% | B+ | A− | 26 min | $86,968 |
| Copperton | under 3% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Copperton: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Jordan’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 West Jordan: questions
What is the median household income in West Jordan?
$108,153 (±$3,084) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,166 across Utah and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Jordan?
6.1%, against 8.5% across Utah and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Jordan?
24 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Utah and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Jordan work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Salt Lake City (25%, 12 mi), West Valley City (9%, 6 mi), Sandy (6%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Jordan walkable?
West Jordan is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 11.7 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Jordan without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 20% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Jordan, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Jordan
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.