Work & commute · Alexandria

Work & commute in Alexandria, VA

Most working residents leave Alexandria for work: only 15% work in town. The top destinations are Washington (26%), Arlington (13%) and Tysons (5%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

15%

10,306 of 69,851 working residents

Typical commute

7 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

28 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

29%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 59,545 Alexandria residents head out of town to work, 10,306 work right here, and 62,885 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Alexandria.

59,545live here, work elsewhere

10,306live and work here

62,885work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Alexandria goes to work

Washington, DC6.9 mi away

26%18,011

Alexandria (in town)right here

15%10,306

Arlington4.2 mi away

13%8,928

Tysons10.5 mi away

5%3,313

Springfield6 mi away

3%1,992

Reston17.1 mi away

2%1,315

Fair Oaks15.1 mi away

1%845

Merrifield9.2 mi away

1%807

Lincolnia3.8 mi away

1%727

Woodburn8 mi away

1%716

Everywhere elseother towns and states

33%22,891

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

How far

How far Alexandria commutes

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

71%

19%

71%Under 10 mi

19%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

7%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Alexandria is balanced between jobs and homes

1.05jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.05 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Alexandria are

73,191 jobs are based in Alexandria. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Alexandria’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Alexandria

73,191 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)5%

Trade, transport & utilities13%

Services (health, schools, offices…)82%

$1,250 a month or less9%

$1,251–$3,333 a month19%

Over $3,333 a month73%

Jobs Alexandria residents hold

69,851 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)4%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)85%

$1,250 a month or less8%

$1,251–$3,333 a month16%

Over $3,333 a month76%

−11%

Jobs based in Alexandria, 2013 → 2023: 82,550 → 73,191. 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.