Photo: self · CC BY 3.0Burke’s household incomes are higher than in 98% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income A: better than 90% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #70 of 253 in Virginia.
Walkability A: more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns · #62 of 253 in Virginia.
Working residents average 29 minutes each way (Virginia 27, U.S. 26). Only 3% work in Burke; the top destination outside it is Washington (13%, 16 miles).
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 7.7 transit trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 56.3 in Arlington (EPA, 2020 schedules).
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 Burke
The better-paid jobs are outside Burke
74% of Burke residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 47% of the jobs based in Burke pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Home offices are common in Burke
30% of Burke workers work from home, against 18% across Virginia. Time on the road ↓
Burke is a place people come home to
There are 3,651 jobs based in Burke, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Burke has about 30,000 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. 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.
What’s behind Burke’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Burke is better than 90% of U.S. towns, #70 of 253 in Virginia. Household income holds Burke’s grade up ($185,818, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Burke could be anywhere from A to A+.
What the 3,651 jobs in Burke are
3,651 jobs are based in Burke. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Burke’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burke, 2013 → 2023: 3,332 → 3,651. 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.
About 29 minutes each way, longer than most of Virginia
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burke workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 15,259 commuters (the 30% who work from home are left out). Across Virginia: 83% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Burke quiets down on a workday
On a workday 17,326 residents head out to work, 464 work right here, and 3,187 people come in from elsewhere.
About 30,000 people are in Burke on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
0.21 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.
13% of working residents work in Washington
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Burke clocks in
13% of workers
10% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Half of Burke commutes less than 11 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Burke 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, Burke is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns, #62 of 253 in Virginia. Both inputs place Burke 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 21,797 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 34% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 1.5% of Burke households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Burke’s commuters take a bus or train.
Burke is 159th of 985 U.S. towns of 31,000 to 59,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Burke, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Oakton VA | 36,528 | $161K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Ashburn VA | 46,026 | $155K | 4.0% | 3.2% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 157 | Rockwall TX | 53,980 | $116K | 4.0% | 4.4% | 14% | A |
| 158 | Catalina Foothills AZ | 52,593 | $115K | 4.5% | 2.7% | 9% | A |
| 159 | Burke VA | 44,029 | $186K | 3.2% | 5.6% | 3% | A |
| 160 | Inver Grove Heights MN | 36,873 | $101K | 4.9% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| 161 | St. Charles IL | 33,594 | $114K | 4.4% | 4.1% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 985 | 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.
Burke and the towns next door
Darker towns draw more of Burke’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Burke workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burke | – | A | A | 29 min | $185,818 |
| West Springfield | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 32 min | $163,115 |
| Burke Centre | under 2% | A− | A | 32 min | $164,123 |
| South Run | under 2% | A+ | B | 33 min | $250,000+ |
| Kings Park West | under 2% | A+ | A | 32 min | $170,039 |
| Newington Forest | under 2% | A | A | 34 min | $149,107 |
| Fairfax Station | under 2% | A | B+ | 30 min | $212,224 |
| Kings Park | under 2% | A+ | A | 32 min | $166,150 |
| Long Branch | under 2% | A+ | B+ | 27 min | $185,208 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Burke: questions
What is the median household income in Burke?
$185,818 (±$3,965) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burke?
3.2%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burke?
29 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burke work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (13%, 16 mi), Springfield (10%, 4 mi), Arlington (8%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Burke walkable?
Burke is more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.8 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Burke without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 34% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Burke, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burke
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.