Unemployment in Geneva (12.1%) is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income B+: better than 66% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access.
Walkability C: more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns.
Household incomes here are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 23 minutes each way (Washington 27, U.S. 26). Only 2% work in Geneva; the top destination outside it is Bellingham (51%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Geneva
A lot of Geneva works from home
45% of Geneva workers work from home, against 20% across Washington. Time on the road ↓
More than half of Geneva works in Bellingham
543 working residents, 51%, have their main job in Bellingham, 3.1 miles away across the town line. That’s 26 times as many as work in Geneva itself. The commute map ↓
Geneva is a place people come home to
There are 146 jobs based in Geneva, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Geneva has about 1,200 people in it, 44% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Most Geneva residents work close to home
60% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
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.
What’s behind Geneva’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Geneva is better than 66% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Geneva’s grade up (1.8%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down (12.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Geneva could be anywhere from B to A.
About 23 minutes each way, quicker than most of Washington
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Geneva workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 593 commuters (the 45% who work from home are left out). Across Washington: 79% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
51% of working residents work in Bellingham
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Geneva clocks in
51% of workers
5% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Geneva quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,047 residents head out to work, 20 work right here, and 126 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,200 people are in Geneva on a workday afternoon, 44% fewer than live here.
0.14 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.
Half of Geneva commutes less than 5 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
146 jobs are based in Geneva. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Geneva’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Geneva, 2013 → 2023: 107 → 146. 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.
Most trips from Geneva start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Geneva is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.7% 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 1,084 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.1% of Geneva households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Geneva’s commuters take a bus or train.
Geneva is 1,335th of 5,148 U.S. towns of 1,500 to 2,800 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Geneva, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 95 | Cathcart WA | 2,064 | $130K | 3.2% | 1.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 101 | Meadow Glade WA | 2,281 | $129K | 2.4% | 0.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Fall City WA | 1,618 | $177K | 2.2% | 3.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,333 | Durand Township IL | 2,301 | $67K | 5.1% | 2.9% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,334 | Garfield Township MI | 1,685 | $97K | 5.5% | 5.3% | <1% | B+ |
| 1,335 | Geneva WA | 2,073 | $142K | 1.8% | 12.1% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,336 | Geneva NE | 2,100 | $80K | 6.2% | 0.0% | 28% | B+ |
| 1,337 | East Lackawannock Township PA | 1,635 | $80K | 6.4% | 0.2% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,148 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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.
51% of Geneva works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Bellingham (51%). Darker towns draw more of Geneva’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Geneva workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | – | B+ | C | 23 min | $142,188 |
| Sudden Valley | under 2% | B− | C− | 31 min | $100,930 |
| Bellingham | 51% | C | A | 18 min | $66,755 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Geneva: questions
What is the median household income in Geneva?
$142,188 (±$35,833) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Geneva?
1.8%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Geneva?
23 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 45% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Geneva work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bellingham (51%, 3 mi), Seattle (5%, 78 mi), Mount Vernon (3%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Geneva walkable?
Geneva is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Geneva without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Geneva, from the people who make the trip.
More of Geneva
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.