Photo: Ascended Dreamer · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of West Fairlee commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
There are 16 jobs in West Fairlee; 266 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in West Fairlee; the top destination outside it is Lebanon (17%, 20 miles). 6% of workers have no commute at all, where Vermont as a whole has 17%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in West Fairlee
West Fairlee is a place people come home to
There are 16 jobs based in West Fairlee, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday West Fairlee has about 370 people in it, 40% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of West Fairlee workers cross into New Hampshire
37% of West Fairlee workers work outside Vermont, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Lebanon (17%), Hanover (9%) and Manchester (1%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
A longer commute than the towns next door
West Fairlee averages 28 minutes each way, more than any bordering town (23 to 25 minutes). Next door ↓
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; with 266 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The workday shuffle in and out of West Fairlee
On a workday 264 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 14 people come in from elsewhere.
About 370 people are in West Fairlee on a workday afternoon, 40% fewer 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.
The towns that employ West Fairlee’s residents
Where West Fairlee clocks in
17% of workers
12% 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.
West Fairlee works in goods: 88% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Fairlee, 2013 → 2023: 14 → 16. 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 Fairlee’s own residents hold wherever they work.
West Fairlee’s commute takes about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Fairlee workers work from home, vs 17% across Vermont. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 360 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.
How far it is to work from West Fairlee
About 18% 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.
West Fairlee and its neighbors: 18% work next door
The biggest share goes to Fairlee (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Fairlee workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Fairlee | – | — | — | 28 min | $76,500 |
| Fairlee | 12% | C− | B | 24 min | $74,760 |
| Bradford | 6% | B+ | A− | 25 min | $108,162 |
| Strafford | under 2% | B | C | 23 min | $110,833 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Fairlee’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 Fairlee: questions
What is the median household income in West Fairlee?
$76,500 (±$16,290) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $81,203 across Vermont and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Fairlee?
7.3%, against 10.1% across Vermont and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Fairlee?
28 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Vermont and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Fairlee work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lebanon (17%, 20 mi), Fairlee (12%, 2 mi), Hartford (10%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around West Fairlee without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Fairlee, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Fairlee
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.