Photo: Yordanpopovbg · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Covington are higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
Only 2% stay in Covington for work; outside it, Seattle is the main destination (19%, 21 miles). Below the poverty line: 5.0% of residents (Washington 9.9%). Jobs and income earn Covington A; getting around on foot earns it B+.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Covington: the figures worth knowing
The better-paid jobs are outside Covington
75% of Covington residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 49% of the jobs based in Covington pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 98% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Covington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 27 across Washington. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Young people hold many of the jobs here
35% of the jobs based in Covington are held by workers 29 or younger, against 19% of Covington’s own working residents. The jobs ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
41% of the jobs in Covington are in trade, transport and utilities, against 23% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
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.
How Covington earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Covington is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #53 of 285 in Washington. Household income is its strongest input ($134,502, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Covington could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
The kinds of work in Covington
4,648 jobs are based in Covington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Covington, 2013 → 2023: 3,479 → 4,648. 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 Covington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Covington spends getting to work: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Covington workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,831 commuters (the 19% who work from home are left out). Across Washington: 79% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Covington quiets down on a workday
On a workday 10,626 residents head out to work, 270 work right here, and 4,378 people come in from elsewhere.
About 15,000 people are in Covington on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.43 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.
Where Covington goes to work
Where Covington clocks in
19% of workers
11% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Covington
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.
In Covington, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Covington is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns, #171 of 285 in Washington. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 8.9% across Washington.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 10,923 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 60% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 22% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 83% 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). 4.0% of Covington households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Covington’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Covington is 439th of 1,787 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 29,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Mercer Island WA | 25,422 | $219K | 3.8% | 3.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Bothell West WA | 22,029 | $153K | 3.0% | 2.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 208 | Cottage Lake WA | 22,518 | $213K | 3.2% | 4.1% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 437 | Branchburg Township NJ | 15,511 | $169K | 2.8% | 6.5% | 7% | A |
| 438 | Bloomingdale IL | 22,476 | $103K | 5.5% | 4.6% | 6% | A |
| 439 | Covington WA | 21,496 | $135K | 5.0% | 4.1% | 2% | A |
| 440 | Fenton Township MI | 17,408 | $112K | 5.1% | 3.4% | 5% | A |
| 441 | Moorestown Township NJ | 22,262 | $160K | 5.7% | 5.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,787 | 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 Covington, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
11% of Covington works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Covington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covington | – | A | B+ | 33 min | $134,502 |
| Lake Morton-Berrydale | under 3% | A | C+ | 38 min | $129,833 |
| Kent | 11% | B | A | 30 min | $92,302 |
| Shadow Lake | under 3% | A− | C | 42 min | $152,552 |
| Maple Valley | under 3% | A− | B+ | 37 min | $152,885 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Kent. Darker towns draw more of Covington’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 Covington: questions
What is the median household income in Covington?
$134,502 (±$8,675) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Covington?
5.0%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Covington?
33 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Covington work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (19%, 21 mi), Kent (11%, 5 mi), Renton (7%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Covington walkable?
Covington is more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 10.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Covington without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 22% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Covington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Covington
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.