Woolworth, F.W., Company Store · Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Renton are higher than in 77% of U.S. towns
8.1% of residents are in poverty, next to 9.9% for Washington as a whole. Jobs and income earn Renton A−; getting around on foot earns it A. About one in ten stay in Renton for work; outside it, Seattle is the main destination (29%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Renton
A lot of Renton works one town over
40% of working residents work in a town that borders Renton: Seattle (29%), Kent (6%) and Tukwila (5%). Next door ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
76% of Renton’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 77% of the jobs based in Renton. 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.
What’s behind Renton’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Renton is better than 76% of U.S. towns, #89 of 285 in Washington. Job access by car holds Renton’s grade up (ahead of 91% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Renton could be anywhere from B+ to A−.
Renton works in goods: 28% of its jobs
64,554 jobs are based in Renton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Renton, 2013 → 2023: 54,898 → 64,554. 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 Renton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Renton
On a workday 43,689 residents head out to work, 5,885 work right here, and 58,669 people come in from elsewhere.
About 120,000 people are in Renton on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.30 per resident).
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 out of Renton: the destinations
Where Renton clocks in
29% of workers
6% 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.
Each way, about 30 minutes from Renton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Renton workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 43,867 commuters (the 22% 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.
How far it is to work from Renton
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.
Renton is more walkable than 94% 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 55,992 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 89% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 39% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 28.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most 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). 8.4% of Renton households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Renton’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Renton ranks: 114th of 413 U.S. towns of 73,000 to 142,000
| # | 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 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Kirkland WA | 97,410 | $150K | 6.1% | 4.6% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Redmond WA | 82,506 | $163K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 32% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 112 | Amherst NY | 130,442 | $93K | 10.1% | 3.3% | 30% | A− |
| 113 | Brooklyn Park MN | 83,543 | $90K | 9.5% | 4.0% | 10% | A− |
| 114 | Renton WA | 104,975 | $100K | 8.1% | 4.9% | 12% | A− |
| 115 | Du Page Township IL | 88,043 | $105K | 8.3% | 5.4% | 14% | A− |
| 116 | Shelby Township MI | 80,415 | $91K | 8.1% | 4.2% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 130 | Marysville WA | 77,686 | $104K | 8.1% | 3.9% | 9% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 413 | 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 Renton, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
Renton and its neighbors: 40% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Renton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renton | – | A− | A | 30 min | $100,432 |
| Fairwood | under 3% | B+ | A− | 34 min | $122,134 |
| East Renton Highlands | under 3% | A− | A− | 32 min | $142,500 |
| Bryn Mawr-Skyway | under 3% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $90,969 |
| Newcastle | under 3% | A− | A | 28 min | $160,278 |
| Kent | 6% | B | A | 30 min | $92,302 |
| Tukwila | 5% | B− | A | 25 min | $78,381 |
| Mercer Island | under 3% | A+ | A | 24 min | $219,069 |
| Maple Heights-Lake Desire | under 3% | A | D | 30 min | $143,148 |
| Seattle | 29% | A− | A+ | 26 min | $123,860 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Seattle. Darker towns draw more of Renton’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 Renton: questions
What is the median household income in Renton?
$100,432 (±$3,956) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Renton?
8.1%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Renton?
30 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Renton work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (29%, 12 mi), Bellevue (11%, 8 mi), Kent (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Renton walkable?
Renton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.7 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Renton without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 39% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Renton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Renton
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.