Photo: Jelson25 · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Kirkland have higher incomes than those in 95% of U.S. towns
34% of workers have no commute at all; Washington has 20%. 6.1% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.9% across Washington. The two grades for Kirkland are A for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Kirkland in brief
Much of Kirkland works one town over
64% of working residents work in a town that borders Kirkland: Seattle (28%), Redmond (18%) and Bellevue (14%). Next door ↓
Kirkland trades workers with the towns around it
Kirkland has about as many jobs (49,499) as working residents (45,302), but they are mostly different people: 40,325 residents leave for work each day while 44,522 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Kirkland are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
83% of Kirkland’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 81% of the jobs based in Kirkland. The jobs ↓
Most Kirkland residents work close to home
73% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. Only 5% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
A lot of Kirkland works from home
34% of Kirkland workers work from home, against 20% across Washington. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Kirkland’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Kirkland is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #47 of 285 in Washington. Household income holds Kirkland’s grade up ($150,414, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (4.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Kirkland could be anywhere from A− to A.
Who works in Kirkland, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 40,325 residents head out to work, 4,977 work right here, and 44,522 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 (1.09 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
81% of the jobs in Kirkland pay over $3,333 a month
49,499 jobs are based in Kirkland.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Kirkland, 2014 → 2024: 38,516 → 49,499. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Kirkland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Kirkland
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 24 minutes each way for Kirkland’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Kirkland workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 33,365 commuters (the 34% 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.
28% of working residents work in Seattle
Where Kirkland clocks in
28% 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.
Kirkland is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 50,453 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 85% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 46% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 23.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 98% 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). 4.8% of Kirkland households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Kirkland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 68,000 to 132,000, Kirkland ranks 66th of 449 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | Bethesda MD | 69,397 | $192K | 4.3% | 3.1% | 16% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | North Richland Hills TX | 70,843 | $97K | 7.2% | 3.2% | 5% | A |
| 65 | Greenburgh NY | 94,537 | $152K | 5.8% | 5.2% | 13% | A |
| 66 | Kirkland WA | 97,410 | $150K | 6.1% | 4.6% | 11% | A |
| 67 | Roswell GA | 91,505 | $129K | 7.5% | 3.8% | 11% | A |
| 68 | Redmond WA | 82,506 | $163K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 32% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 119 | South Hill WA | 68,025 | $113K | 7.2% | 4.2% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 130 | Renton WA | 104,975 | $100K | 8.1% | 4.9% | 12% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 145 | Marysville WA | 77,686 | $104K | 8.1% | 3.9% | 9% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 449 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | 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 Kirkland, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
64% of Kirkland works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Seattle (28%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Kirkland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkland | – | A | A+ | 24 min | $150,414 |
| Kenmore | under 2% | A | A | 29 min | $139,764 |
| Seattle | 28% | A− | A+ | 26 min | $123,860 |
| Yarrow Point | under 2% | A+ | A | 19 min | $250,000+ |
| Redmond | 18% | A | A+ | 22 min | $162,560 |
| Woodinville | 1% | A | A | 26 min | $164,398 |
| Bellevue | 14% | A | A+ | 24 min | $165,576 |
| Bothell | 3% | A | A | 28 min | $140,427 |
| Clyde Hill | under 2% | A | A+ | 18 min | $250,000+ |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Kirkland’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 2024, 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 Kirkland: questions
What is the median household income in Kirkland?
$150,414 (±$5,890) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Kirkland?
6.1%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Kirkland?
24 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 34% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Kirkland work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (28%, 9 mi), Redmond (18%, 4 mi), Bellevue (14%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Kirkland walkable?
Kirkland is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.7 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Kirkland without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 46% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Kirkland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Kirkland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.