Oak Grove’s household incomes are higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Oak Grove grades A+ for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. The poverty rate is 0.6%, against 9.9% across Virginia. 31% of workers work from home (Virginia 18%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Oak Grove apart
Oak Grove fills up on a workday
Oak Grove has 7,099 jobs, 4.6 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 8,000 people are in town, 3 times the 2,400 who live here. Day and night ↓
Oak Grove draws workers from far and wide
The 7,099 jobs in Oak Grove are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 22%; the other 77% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Oak Grove workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 27 across Virginia. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 77 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Oak Grove works from home
31% of Oak Grove workers work from home, against 18% across Virginia. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in Oak Grove pay over $40,000 a year
74% of the jobs based in Oak Grove 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Oak Grove
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Oak Grove is among the top U.S. towns. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Oak Grove could be anywhere from A to A+.
Who leaves Oak Grove for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,495 residents head out to work, 62 work right here, and 7,037 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,000 people are in Oak Grove on a workday afternoon, 230% more than live here.
4.6 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.
The daily trip into Oak Grove
Where Oak Grove clocks in
6% of workers
5% 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.
A commute of about 37 minutes in Oak Grove
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oak Grove workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,013 commuters (the 31% 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.
Oak Grove works in goods: 32% of its jobs
7,099 jobs are based in Oak Grove.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oak Grove, 2013 → 2023: 5,161 → 7,099. 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 Oak Grove’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Oak Grove 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.
Few in Oak Grove walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Oak Grove is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 5.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.7% across Virginia, on an EPA index of 7.3.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,466 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 89% 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). 3.9% of Oak Grove households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Oak Grove’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Oak Grove is 22nd among 5,207 U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Sully Square VA | 2,394 | $176K | 0.8% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 21 | Clearview WA | 3,254 | $193K | 2.6% | 0.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 22 | Oak Grove VA | 2,408 | $174K | 0.6% | 2.5% | 4% | A+ |
| 23 | Empire MN | 3,063 | $148K | 1.9% | 0.5% | 1% | A+ |
| 24 | Southside Place TX | 1,916 | $163K | 5.0% | 5.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Mason Neck VA | 2,039 | $168K | 1.1% | 2.3% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 86 | Bull Run Mountain Estates VA | 1,827 | $250K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,207 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Oak Grove, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
The towns around Oak Grove
The biggest share goes to Sterling (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Oak Grove’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 Oak Grove: questions
What is the median household income in Oak Grove?
$174,423 (±$50,120) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oak Grove?
0.6%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oak Grove?
37 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 31% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oak Grove work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Reston (8%, 4 mi), Tysons (6%, 11 mi), Ashburn (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Oak Grove walkable?
Oak Grove is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.3 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Oak Grove without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oak Grove, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oak Grove
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.