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

WashingtonAlexandriaHuntingtonBelle HavenBailey's CrossroadsWoodlawnWoodburnMerrifieldTysonsLincolniaFair OaksRose HillSpringfieldAnnandaleBurkeLake RidgeDale CityRestonArlingtonWashingtonArlingtonTysonsSpringfieldRestonFair OaksMerrifieldLincolniaWoodburnAlexandria
1
Washington, DC6.9 mi away
26%18,011
2
Alexandria (in town)right here
15%10,306
3
Arlington4.2 mi away
13%8,928
4
Tysons10.5 mi away
5%3,313
5
Springfield6 mi away
3%1,992
6
Reston17.1 mi away
2%1,315
7
Fair Oaks15.1 mi away
1%845
8
Merrifield9.2 mi away
1%807
9
Lincolnia3.8 mi away
1%727
10
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%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.

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