Photo: Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0Merrifield has higher household incomes than 93% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 5.1% of residents (Virginia 9.9%). The two grades for Merrifield are A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Working from home is the commute for 35% of workers, next to 18% for Virginia as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Merrifield, in brief
Home offices are common in Merrifield
35% of Merrifield workers work from home, against 18% across Virginia. Time on the road ↓
Merrifield is where the jobs are
Merrifield has 21,332 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 32,000 people are in town, 57% more than the 21,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Merrifield draws workers from far and wide
The 21,332 jobs in Merrifield are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 25%; the other 73% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Three in four Merrifield workers earn over $40,000 a year
76% of Merrifield’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, 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.
Where Merrifield’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Merrifield is better than 95% of U.S. towns, #53 of 253 in Virginia. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.3%, 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, Merrifield could be anywhere from A to A+.
A commute of about 28 minutes in Merrifield
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Merrifield workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,637 commuters (the 35% 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.
Who commutes out of Merrifield, and who commutes in
On a workday 9,123 residents head out to work, 511 work right here, and 20,821 people come in from elsewhere.
About 32,000 people are in Merrifield on a workday afternoon, 57% more than live here.
2.2 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.
Where the people who work in Merrifield live
Where Merrifield clocks in
14% of workers
11% 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.
66% of the jobs in Merrifield pay over $3,333 a month
21,332 jobs are based in Merrifield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Merrifield, 2013 → 2023: 16,628 → 21,332. 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 Merrifield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Merrifield’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.
Merrifield is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Merrifield is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #6 of 253 in Virginia. Both inputs place Merrifield 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 13,210 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, 43% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 38.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 5.5% of Merrifield households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 12% of Merrifield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,931 U.S. towns of 14,000 to 28,000, Merrifield comes 164th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| 4 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Rose Hill VA | 21,066 | $175K | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 162 | Orange CT | 14,416 | $142K | 3.9% | 3.3% | 10% | A+ |
| 163 | Robinson Township PA | 15,735 | $103K | 5.5% | 1.6% | 11% | A+ |
| 164 | Merrifield VA | 20,698 | $136K | 5.1% | 3.3% | 5% | A+ |
| 165 | Palmetto Bay FL | 24,886 | $142K | 5.8% | 2.7% | 6% | A+ |
| 166 | Middletown Township PA | 17,342 | $129K | 4.8% | 3.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,931 | 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 Merrifield, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
Next door to Merrifield
The biggest share goes to Woodburn (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Merrifield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrifield | – | A+ | A+ | 28 min | $136,373 |
| Oakton | under 3% | A+ | A+ | 29 min | $160,663 |
| Dunn Loring | under 3% | A+ | A | 27 min | $244,265 |
| Idylwood | under 3% | A+ | A | 25 min | $120,109 |
| Woodburn | 2% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $134,013 |
| Mantua | under 3% | A+ | A | 28 min | $213,047 |
| West Falls Church | under 3% | A− | A+ | 29 min | $134,978 |
| Fairfax | under 3% | A | A+ | 28 min | $132,348 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Merrifield’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 Merrifield: questions
What is the median household income in Merrifield?
$136,373 (±$16,108) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Merrifield?
5.1%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Merrifield?
28 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 35% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Merrifield work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (14%, 12 mi), Tysons (11%, 4 mi), Arlington (10%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Merrifield walkable?
Merrifield is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 15.0 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Merrifield without a car?
12% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 43% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Merrifield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Merrifield
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.