Households in Shadow Lake have higher incomes than those in 95% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Shadow Lake A−; getting around on foot earns it C. 11.9% of residents live below the poverty line, where Washington as a whole has 9.9%. Hardly any work in Shadow Lake; the top destination outside it is Seattle (21%, 19 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Shadow Lake stands out on work
Shadow Lake workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 42 minutes each way, against 27 across Washington. Over a year that’s about 322 hours of commuting, 115 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
76% of Shadow Lake’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 84% of the jobs based in Shadow Lake. The jobs ↓
Shadow Lake makes and builds things
40% of the jobs based in Shadow Lake are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Shadow Lake residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 18%. The jobs ↓
Shadow Lake is a place people come home to
There are 338 jobs based in Shadow Lake, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Shadow Lake has about 1,600 people in it, 35% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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.
The four measures behind Shadow Lake’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Shadow Lake is better than 76% of U.S. towns. Household income holds Shadow Lake’s grade up ($152,552, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on unemployment and job access by car.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Shadow Lake could be anywhere from C+ to A+.
Commuting from Shadow Lake: about 42 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Shadow Lake workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 797 commuters (the 26% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 40% of the jobs in Shadow Lake
338 jobs are based in Shadow Lake.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Shadow Lake, 2013 → 2023: 242 → 338. 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 Shadow Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Shadow Lake
On a workday 1,206 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 337 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,600 people are in Shadow Lake on a workday afternoon, 35% fewer than live here.
0.28 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 Shadow Lake goes to work
Where Shadow Lake clocks in
21% 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.
The distance from Shadow Lake to work
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.
Most trips from Shadow Lake start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Shadow Lake is more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 8.9% across Washington, on an EPA index of 5.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,076 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). <1% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 77% 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). 0.0% of Shadow Lake households have no vehicle (Washington 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Shadow Lake’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 5,207 U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,300, Shadow Lake comes 962nd on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Clearview WA | 3,254 | $193K | 2.6% | 0.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 91 | Medina WA | 2,974 | $250K | 4.7% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 104 | Cathcart WA | 2,064 | $130K | 3.2% | 1.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 960 | Tres Arroyos NM | 1,926 | $88K | 2.2% | 5.1% | 2% | A− |
| 961 | Penn Township PA | 2,937 | $81K | 3.7% | 2.8% | 5% | A− |
| 962 | Shadow Lake WA | 2,465 | $153K | 11.9% | 3.6% | <1% | A− |
| 963 | New Carlisle IN | 1,884 | $67K | 4.5% | 1.9% | 6% | A− |
| 964 | Bozrah CT | 2,417 | $109K | 11.7% | 2.4% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,207 | 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.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Shadow Lake, the top three, the last and three more from Washington.
Work in the towns next to Shadow Lake
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Shadow Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Lake | – | A− | C | 42 min | $152,552 |
| Covington | under 3% | A | B+ | 33 min | $134,502 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Shadow Lake’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 Shadow Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Shadow Lake?
$152,552 (±$60,560) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Shadow Lake?
11.9%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Shadow Lake?
42 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Shadow Lake work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Seattle (21%, 19 mi), Kent (10%, 6 mi), Renton (9%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Shadow Lake walkable?
Shadow Lake is more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Shadow Lake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Shadow Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Shadow Lake
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.