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Work & commute in South Windham · A commuter town

99% of South Windham’s working residents leave town for work

Most working residents leave South Windham for work: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Portland (26%), Windham (12%) and South Portland (10%). Half commute less than 9 miles.

Work in town
1%
5 of 604 working residents
Typical commute
9 mi
half travel less, straight-line
Time each way
34 min
More than ME (25 min)
Work from home
25%
More than ME (16%)
Jobs based here
450
A commuter town

What kind of work town is South Windham?

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · The commute map

26% of working residents work in Portland

A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.

South Portland: 59 residents work here (10%)Westbrook: 56 residents work here (9%)Portland: 157 residents work here (26%)Saco: 14 residents work here (2%)BiddefordAugusta: 15 residents work here (2%)GrayScarborough: 29 residents work here (5%)Windham: 73 residents work here (12%)Falmouth: 12 residents work here (2%)RaymondCascoGorham: 27 residents work here (4%)Yarmouth: 12 residents work here (2%)South WindhamLittle FallsPortlandWindhamSouth PortlandWestbrookScarboroughGorhamSouth Windham
1
Portland13.9 mi away
26%157
2
Windham3.9 mi away
12%73
3
South Portland10.1 mi away
10%59
4
Westbrook4.1 mi away
9%56
5
Scarborough12.4 mi away
5%29
6
Gorham3.3 mi away
4%27
7
Augusta53.5 mi away
2%15
8
Saco14.6 mi away
2%14
9
Falmouth7.2 mi away
2%12
10
Yarmouth13.7 mi away
2%12
Everywhere elseother towns and states
25%150
The top trips

Where South Windham clocks in

Lines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.

Time on the road

About 34 minutes each way, longer than most of Maine

From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.

A year of commuting
258 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

South Windham34 min
Maine25 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
25%

of South Windham workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.

About 2 in 10
Next door

16% of South Windham works in a bordering town

The biggest share goes to Windham (12%). Darker towns draw more of South Windham’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.

The jobs

Mostly services: health care, schools and offices

450 jobs are based in South Windham. Here is what they are, next to the jobs South Windham’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in South WindhamJobs South Windham residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms9%16%
Trade, transport & utilities8%17%
Services: health, schools, offices83%67%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less8%12%
$1,251–$3,333 a month14%20%
Over $3,333 a month78%68%

Who does it

29 or younger18%20%
30 to 5461%53%
55 and older22%26%
−6%

Jobs based in South Windham, 2013 → 2023: 477 → 450. 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.

Day and night

South Windham quiets down on a workday

On a workday 599 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 445 people come in from elsewhere.

599live here, work elsewhere
5live and work here
445work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night1,200
Workday1,100
1,200live here− 600head out to work+ 450come in to work= 1,100on a workday

About 1,100 people are in South Windham on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.75jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

0.75 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.

How far

Half of South Windham commutes less than 9 miles

Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

10 mi25 mi50 mi60 miPortland: 26% · 13.9 miWindham: 12% · 3.9 miSouth Portland: 10% · 10.1 miWestbrook: 9% · 4.1 miScarborough: 5% · 12.4 miGorham: 4% · 3.3 miAugusta: 2% · 53.5 miSaco: 2% · 14.6 miFalmouth: 2% · 7.2 miYarmouth: 2% · 13.7 miPortland 26%Windham 12%South Portland 10%Westbrook 9%Scarborough 5%South Windham
South WindhamTop destinations (size = commuters)
61%Under 10 mi366 residents
22%10–24 mi135 residents
7%25–50 mi42 residents
10%Over 50 mi61 residents

Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Every worker, home to work. The Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.
  • Where the employer says. A job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.
  • Two surveys. Flows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: the Census American Community Survey.
  • Straight lines. Distances are as the crow flies between home and work. Roads, rivers and traffic make the real trip longer.
Beyond the commute

More of South Windham

South Windham home →

Commuter talk

Getting to work from South Windham, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Weigh in
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Ask neighbors

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.

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