Hydeville School · Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0Castleton at work: jobs, income and the commute
About one in seven work in Castleton; the top destination outside it is Rutland (24%, 10 miles). The two grades for Castleton are C for jobs and income and A for walkability. 6% of workers have no commute at all, next to 17% for Vermont as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Castleton stands out on work
Castleton trades workers with the towns around it
Castleton has about as many jobs (1,501) as working residents (1,403), but they are mostly different people: 1,184 residents leave for work each day while 1,282 people come in. Only 15% of the jobs in Castleton are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Castleton are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 24 across Vermont. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Vermont worker, and quicker than any town next door (28 to 33 minutes). 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.
Where Castleton’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Castleton is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #56 of 71 in Vermont. Household income holds Castleton’s grade up ($73,854, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 21% of U.S. towns).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Castleton could be anywhere from D to B+.
Castleton by day and by night
On a workday 1,184 residents head out to work, 219 work right here, and 1,282 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.07 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How long Castleton spends getting to work: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Castleton workers work from home, vs 17% across Vermont. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,928 commuters (the 6% 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.
Out of Castleton to work: where people go
Where Castleton clocks in
4% 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.
The 1,501 jobs based in Castleton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Castleton, 2013 → 2023: 1,361 → 1,501. 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 Castleton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Castleton’s commute, mile by mile
About 23% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Castleton is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Castleton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #8 of 71 in Vermont. Both inputs place Castleton 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 2,055 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 69% 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 1.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 62% 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). 5.3% of Castleton households have no vehicle (Vermont 6.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Castleton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 3,100 to 6,000, Castleton ranks 2,868th of 4,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 345 | Jericho VT | 5,056 | $117K | 0.9% | 1.2% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 408 | Richmond VT | 4,103 | $108K | 4.2% | 1.0% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 471 | Charlotte VT | 3,846 | $144K | 3.7% | 1.1% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,866 | Parkesburg PA | 3,976 | $76K | 17.4% | 9.0% | 3% | C |
| 2,867 | Coldwater Township MI | 3,859 | $72K | 9.3% | 8.2% | 8% | C |
| 2,868 | Castleton VT | 4,411 | $74K | 12.5% | 4.8% | 16% | C |
| 2,869 | Midway FL | 3,482 | $63K | 15.6% | 4.3% | 3% | C |
| 2,870 | Riverside MO | 4,581 | $52K | 17.3% | 6.5% | 6% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,000 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Castleton, the top three, the last and three more from Vermont.
Castleton and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Fair Haven (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Castleton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton | – | C | A | 19 min | $73,854 |
| Poultney | under 2% | C− | B+ | 29 min | $72,617 |
| Ira | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Fair Haven | 4% | C | A− | 31 min | $62,404 |
| Hubbardton | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Benson | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Ira, Hubbardton and Benson: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Castleton’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 Castleton: questions
What is the median household income in Castleton?
$73,854 (±$22,842) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $81,203 across Vermont and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Castleton?
12.5%, against 10.1% across Vermont and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Castleton?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Vermont and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Castleton work?
16% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rutland (24%, 10 mi), Rutland (7%, 10 mi), Fair Haven (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Castleton walkable?
Castleton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.4 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Castleton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Castleton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Castleton
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.