Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0Wells River draws 303 commuters a day, with 1.9 jobs for every working resident
5% of workers have no commute at all, next to 17% for Vermont as a whole. 307 jobs are based in Wells River, and 158 of its residents work somewhere. Only 3% work in Wells River; the top destination outside it is Bradford (13%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How many people are in Wells River by day
On a workday 154 residents head out to work and 4 work right here.
About 600 people are in Wells River on a workday afternoon, 33% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting in to Wells River: where workers come from
Where Wells River clocks in
13% of workers
9% 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.
In Wells River, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wells River, 2013 → 2023: 557 → 307. 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 Wells River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 34 minutes each way, longer than most of Vermont
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wells River workers work from home, vs 17% across Vermont. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 110 commuters (the 5% 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.
Miles to work from Wells River
About 25% 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.
18% of Wells River works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Newbury (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wells River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells River | – | — | — | 34 min | $38,688 |
| Newbury | 9% | C | B | 30 min | $62,316 |
| Ryegate | under 3% | D | C− | 28 min | $66,484 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Wells River’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 Wells River: questions
What is the median household income in Wells River?
$38,688 (±$5,445) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $81,203 across Vermont and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wells River?
38.8%, against 10.1% across Vermont and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wells River?
34 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Vermont and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wells River work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bradford (13%, 11 mi), Haverhill (9%, 6 mi), Newbury (9%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Wells River without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 27% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wells River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wells River
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.