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Work & commute · Swarthmore

Work & commute in Swarthmore, PA

Most working residents leave Swarthmore for work: only 10% work in town. The top destinations are Philadelphia (33%), Springfield (2%) and Radnor (2%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times
Work in town
10%
225 of 2,261 working residents
Typical commute
10 mi
Half commute less than this, straight-line
Average commute time
26 min
One way, from the Census survey
Work from home
21%
of workers, from the Census survey
Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 2,036 Swarthmore residents head out of town to work, 225 work right here, and 2,767 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Swarthmore.

2,036live here, work elsewhere
225live and work here
2,767work here, live elsewhere
Leave for workStayCome in
The map

Where Swarthmore goes to work

MediaSwarthmoreYeadonChesterPhiladelphiaHaverfordNewtownLower MerionUpper DarbyRadnorRidleySpringfieldNether ProvidenceMarpleUpper MerionTredyffrinPhiladelphiaSpringfieldRadnorLower MerionTredyffrinMediaNewtownUpper MerionNether ProvidenceSwarthmore
1
Philadelphia13.6 mi away
33%753
2
Swarthmore (in town)right here
10%225
3
Springfield1.9 mi away
2%53
4
Radnor8.4 mi away
2%48
5
Lower Merion9.5 mi away
2%43
6
Tredyffrin12.6 mi away
2%42
7
Media2.4 mi away
2%36
8
Newtown7 mi away
2%36
9
Upper Merion13.1 mi away
2%36
10
Nether Providence0.9 mi away
2%35
Everywhere elseother towns and states
42%954

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Swarthmore commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

47%Under 10 mi
37%10–24 mi
6%25–50 mi
10%Over 50 mi
Job hub or commuter town?

Swarthmore is balanced between jobs and homes

1.32jobs per working resident
Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.32 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Swarthmore are

2,992 jobs are based in Swarthmore. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Swarthmore’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Swarthmore

2,992 jobs
Goods (factories, building, farms)1%
Trade, transport & utilities26%
Services (health, schools, offices…)73%
$1,250 a month or less18%
$1,251–$3,333 a month26%
Over $3,333 a month56%

Jobs Swarthmore residents hold

2,261 working residents
Goods (factories, building, farms)7%
Trade, transport & utilities13%
Services (health, schools, offices…)80%
$1,250 a month or less10%
$1,251–$3,333 a month14%
Over $3,333 a month76%
+34%

Jobs based in Swarthmore, 2013 → 2023: 2,226 → 2,992. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe 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 saysA 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 surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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