Household incomes in West Springfield top those of 96% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 8.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 56.3 in Arlington. 1.9% of residents are in poverty, where Virginia as a whole has 9.9%. The two grades for West Springfield are A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
West Springfield and work: the main findings
The better-paid jobs are outside West Springfield
73% of West Springfield residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 53% of the jobs based in West Springfield pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
West Springfield is a place people come home to
There are 2,766 jobs based in West Springfield, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday West Springfield has about 16,000 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of West Springfield works from home
26% of West Springfield workers work from home, against 18% across Virginia. Time on the road ↓
West Springfield workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 27 across Virginia. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Jobs & income in West Springfield: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Springfield is among the top U.S. towns, #6 of 253 in Virginia. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides West Springfield’s grade. It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Springfield stays A+.
The kinds of work in West Springfield
2,766 jobs are based in West Springfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Springfield, 2013 → 2023: 2,903 → 2,766. 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 Springfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in West Springfield, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 9,541 residents head out to work, 246 work right here, and 2,520 people come in from elsewhere.
About 16,000 people are in West Springfield on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
0.28 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.
The daily trip from West Springfield: about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Springfield workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,793 commuters (the 26% 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.
15% of working residents work in Washington
Where West Springfield clocks in
15% of workers
10% 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.
Where in the region West Springfield works
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.
West Springfield 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 Springfield is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #39 of 253 in Virginia. Both inputs place West Springfield 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 11,902 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 70% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 33% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 8.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 92% 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). 2.2% of West Springfield households have no vehicle (Virginia 6.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 11% of West Springfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, West Springfield is 1st among 1,658 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Rose Hill VA | 21,066 | $175K | 2.6% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Franconia VA | 18,335 | $152K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Short Pump VA | 29,026 | $139K | 3.6% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | 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 West Springfield, the top three, the last and three more from Virginia.
The towns next door employ 10% of West Springfield
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Springfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Springfield | – | A+ | A+ | 32 min | $163,115 |
| Burke | under 2% | A | A | 29 min | $185,818 |
| Springfield | 10% | B+ | A+ | 29 min | $125,999 |
| Newington | under 2% | A+ | A | 30 min | $155,027 |
| Kings Park | under 2% | A+ | A | 32 min | $166,150 |
| North Springfield | under 2% | A− | A− | 30 min | $130,400 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Springfield. Darker towns draw more of West Springfield’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 Springfield: questions
What is the median household income in West Springfield?
$163,115 (±$8,294) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $93,170 across Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Springfield?
1.9%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Springfield?
32 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Virginia and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Springfield work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Washington (15%, 14 mi), Springfield (10%, 2 mi), Arlington (8%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Springfield walkable?
West Springfield is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Springfield without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 33% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Springfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Springfield
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.