Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5Williamstown has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Williamstown has 691 jobs for 1,329 working residents. For jobs and income Williamstown is better than 75% of U.S. towns (A−); for walkability it is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns (B). Only 6% stay in Williamstown for work; outside it, Parkersburg is the main destination (23%, 11 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 Williamstown
Many Williamstown workers cross into Ohio
47% of Williamstown workers work outside West Virginia, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Marietta (15%), Marietta Township (5%) and Muskingum Township (3%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Williamstown and Parkersburg trade workers both ways
Parkersburg is the top workplace for Williamstown residents (23%) and also where the most people who work in Williamstown come from (17% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from Williamstown are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 27 across West Virginia. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical West Virginia worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Williamstown
62% of Williamstown residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 44% of the jobs based in Williamstown pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Williamstown
Unemployment holds Williamstown’s grade up (1.9%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 35% of U.S. towns). 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, Williamstown could be anywhere from B− to A.
Where the trip to work from Williamstown ends
Where Williamstown clocks in
23% of workers
15% of workers
5% 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.
Commuting from Williamstown: about 19 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Williamstown workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,307 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across West Virginia: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Jobs in Williamstown: what the 691 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Williamstown, 2013 → 2023: 740 → 691. 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 Williamstown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Williamstown
On a workday 1,248 residents head out to work, 81 work right here, and 610 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,300 people are in Williamstown on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The commute from Williamstown, by distance
About 21% 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.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Few in Williamstown walk, bike or ride to work
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.5% across West Virginia.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,447 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). 1.2% of Williamstown households have no vehicle (West Virginia 8.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Williamstown’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,034th of 4,882: where Williamstown ranks among U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,032 | Herman WI | 2,160 | $105K | 7.7% | 3.1% | 3% | A− |
| 1,033 | Paloma Creek TX | 3,016 | $92K | 11.4% | 3.3% | <1% | A− |
| 1,034 | Williamstown WV | 2,922 | $89K | 5.2% | 1.9% | 6% | A− |
| 1,035 | Cass Township IN | 2,024 | $72K | 2.4% | 0.8% | 6% | A− |
| 1,036 | Elk Rapids Township MI | 2,647 | $83K | 3.3% | 0.8% | 18% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,459 | Bethlehem WV | 2,520 | $83K | 8.8% | 3.0% | 2% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,467 | Culloden WV | 3,040 | $73K | 11.8% | 0.0% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,740 | Kenova WV | 2,841 | $54K | 9.0% | 0.0% | 9% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 4,882 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Williamstown, the top three, the last and three more from West Virginia.
Bordering towns draw 15% of Williamstown’s workers
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Williamstown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | – | A− | B | 19 min | $89,013 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Marietta. Darker towns draw more of Williamstown’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 Williamstown: questions
What is the median household income in Williamstown?
$89,013 (±$13,970) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Williamstown?
5.2%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Williamstown?
19 minutes each way on average, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Williamstown work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Parkersburg (23%, 11 mi), Marietta (15%, 2 mi), Marietta Township (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Williamstown walkable?
Williamstown is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.3 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Williamstown without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Williamstown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Williamstown
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.