Photo: Dion Hinchcliffe · CC BY-SA 2.0Herndon’s household incomes are higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 8.1% of residents, next to 9.9% for Virginia as a whole. The two grades for Herndon are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Only 6% work in Herndon; the top destination outside it is Reston (9%, 2 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Herndon: the figures worth knowing
Herndon draws workers from far and wide
The 21,757 jobs in Herndon are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 22%; the other 75% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Herndon is where the jobs are
Herndon has 21,757 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 36,000 people are in town, 42% more than the 26,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs in Herndon pay over $40,000 a year
80% of the jobs based in Herndon pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Herndon’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Herndon is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #87 of 253 in Virginia. Job access by car is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.1%, 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, Herndon could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The towns that send workers to Herndon
Where Herndon clocks in
6% 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.
Who commutes out of Herndon, and who commutes in
On a workday 10,473 residents head out to work, 687 work right here, and 21,070 people come in from elsewhere.
About 36,000 people are in Herndon on a workday afternoon, 42% more than live here.
1.9 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
21,757 jobs are based in Herndon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Herndon, 2013 → 2023: 16,444 → 21,757. 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 Herndon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Herndon: about 28 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Herndon workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,169 commuters (the 21% who work from home are left out). Across Virginia: 83% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many miles Herndon 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.
Herndon is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,167 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 50% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 13.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 96% 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). 3.8% of Herndon households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Herndon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Herndon is 361st of 1,516 U.S. towns of 18,000 to 34,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Rose Hill VA | 21,066 | $175K | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Franconia VA | 18,335 | $152K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 359 | North Kingstown RI | 27,885 | $126K | 6.1% | 3.4% | 19% | A |
| 360 | Lynbrook NY | 20,855 | $137K | 7.5% | 4.5% | 6% | A |
| 361 | Herndon VA | 25,506 | $148K | 8.1% | 4.1% | 6% | A |
| 362 | Westborough MA | 22,894 | $142K | 6.3% | 4.3% | 14% | A |
| 363 | Delran Township NJ | 18,909 | $107K | 3.5% | 5.2% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,516 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Herndon, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
12% of Herndon works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Herndon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herndon | – | A | A+ | 28 min | $148,000 |
| Dranesville | under 3% | A+ | A− | 29 min | $214,688 |
| McNair | 3% | A+ | A+ | 25 min | $122,778 |
| Reston | 9% | A | A+ | 26 min | $148,710 |
| Hutchison | under 3% | B+ | A+ | 26 min | $105,651 |
| Oak Grove | under 3% | A+ | B+ | 37 min | $174,423 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Reston. Darker towns draw more of Herndon’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 Herndon: questions
What is the median household income in Herndon?
$148,000 (±$18,469) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Herndon?
8.1%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Herndon?
28 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Herndon work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Reston (9%, 2 mi), Tysons (6%, 9 mi), Washington (6%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Herndon walkable?
Herndon is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.4 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Herndon without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 50% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Herndon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Herndon
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.