Gates Farm Covered Bridge · Photo: Srbergeron at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0At 1.6%, unemployment in Cambridge is lower than in 89% of U.S. towns
About one in five stay in Cambridge for work; outside it, Burlington is the main destination (9%, 23 miles). The two grades for Cambridge are B for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Commuters spend 32 minutes getting to work on average, against 24 across Vermont and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Cambridge and work: the main findings
Many jobs in Cambridge pay little
36% of the jobs based in Cambridge pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 30% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
Cambridge workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 24 across Vermont. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Cambridge
66% of Cambridge residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 42% of the jobs based in Cambridge pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 78% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Cambridge’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Cambridge is Burlington, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (159) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Cambridge
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Cambridge is better than 59% of U.S. towns, #27 of 71 in Vermont. Unemployment holds Cambridge’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 20% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Cambridge could be anywhere from C to A−.
What work there is in Cambridge: 1,345 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cambridge, 2014 → 2024: 1,214 → 1,345. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Cambridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 32 minutes each way, longer than most of Vermont
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cambridge workers work from home, vs 17% across Vermont. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,954 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Vermont: 82% drive alone, 1% 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 Cambridge commutes
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Cambridge by day and by night
On a workday 1,418 residents head out to work, 407 work right here, and 938 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,200 people are in Cambridge on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.74 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 2024, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Cambridge’s residents
Where Cambridge clocks in
9% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Cambridge
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Cambridge is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #26 of 71 in Vermont. Both inputs place Cambridge 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 2,169 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 53% 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 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 53% 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). 6.8% of Cambridge households have no vehicle (Vermont 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Cambridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Cambridge places 1,707th of 4,210 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 2,600 to 4,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 395 | Richmond VT | 4,103 | $108K | 4.2% | 1.0% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 468 | Charlotte VT | 3,846 | $144K | 3.7% | 1.1% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 637 | Norwich VT | 3,577 | $140K | 2.8% | 3.0% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,705 | Binghamton NY | 4,435 | $105K | 8.2% | 6.4% | 3% | B |
| 1,706 | Menallen Township PA | 3,802 | $86K | 6.9% | 4.0% | 11% | B |
| 1,707 | Cambridge VT | 3,666 | $72K | 6.7% | 1.6% | 22% | B |
| 1,708 | Macungie PA | 3,395 | $76K | 16.9% | 3.1% | 2% | B |
| 1,709 | Charleston Township PA | 3,471 | $73K | 6.8% | 0.0% | 8% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 4,210 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 Cambridge, the top three, the last and three more from Vermont.
Cambridge and its neighbors: 10% work next door
The biggest share goes to Morristown (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cambridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | – | B | A− | 32 min | $72,344 |
| Fletcher | under 3% | B | C− | 32 min | $105,833 |
| Fairfax | under 3% | A− | B− | 31 min | $128,963 |
| Underhill | under 3% | B+ | D | 33 min | $92,267 |
| Johnson | under 3% | D | A | 33 min | $55,346 |
| Morristown | 6% | B− | A− | 21 min | $66,273 |
| Stowe | 4% | B− | B+ | 19 min | $93,618 |
| Waterville | under 3% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| Westford | under 3% | A− | C− | 33 min | $112,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Waterville: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cambridge’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 2024, 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 Cambridge: questions
What is the median household income in Cambridge?
$72,344 (±$19,222) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $81,203 across Vermont and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cambridge?
6.7%, against 10.1% across Vermont and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cambridge?
32 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Vermont and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Cambridge work?
22% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Burlington (9%, 23 mi), Morristown (6%, 10 mi), South Burlington (6%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Cambridge walkable?
Cambridge is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.9 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Cambridge without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cambridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cambridge
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.