Classification Categories

The American Walkability Atlas classifies neighborhoods into five categories based on their Employment Mix scores. This variable measures the diversity of employment opportunities within a neighborhood by evaluating how evenly jobs are distributed across different economic sectors. Rather than simply measuring the number of jobs, Employment Mix reflects the variety of employment types available, including retail, office, service, industrial, institutional, entertainment, and other economic activities. Within the EPA’s National Walkability Index, neighborhoods with a greater diversity of employment opportunities generally provide more destinations that support walking throughout the day.

Research consistently demonstrates that neighborhoods containing a diverse mix of employment types generate more walking, shorter trip distances, and greater transportation choice because residents and visitors have access to a wider variety of destinations (Cervero & Kockelman, 1997; Frank et al., 2005; Ewing & Cervero, 2010).

• Very Low Employment Mix: Neighborhoods where employment is concentrated in one or two sectors or where relatively few jobs exist. These areas are often dominated by single-family housing, large industrial districts, parks, airports, or other specialized land uses with limited economic diversity.
• Low Employment Mix: Neighborhoods containing several employment sectors but still dominated by one primary land use or economic activity. Residents often travel outside the neighborhood to access a broader range of employment and services.
• Moderate Employment Mix: Neighborhoods supporting a balanced combination of several employment sectors that provide a reasonable variety of destinations. Daily needs may be met locally, although larger employment centers remain important for regional access.
• High Employment Mix: Neighborhoods with numerous complementary employment sectors that create a diverse economic environment. Offices, retail businesses, restaurants, schools, healthcare facilities, and community services are commonly located within close proximity, increasing opportunities for walking throughout the day.
• Very High Employment Mix: Neighborhoods exhibiting exceptional diversity across multiple employment sectors. These areas typically include downtown business districts, major mixed-use centers, university districts, innovation districts, and regional commercial centers where numerous complementary activities occur within a compact geographic area.

Planning Implications

Employment diversity is a fundamental characteristic of walkable neighborhoods because it creates destinations that generate trips throughout the day. While residential density determines where people live, employment diversity influences where people work, shop, dine, receive healthcare, access services, and participate in recreational activities. The EPA includes Employment Mix within the National Walkability Index because neighborhoods containing multiple employment sectors typically support more frequent walking and shorter trip distances.

Research has consistently shown that mixed employment environments encourage active transportation by increasing the number and variety of nearby destinations. Cervero and Kockelman (1997) identified land-use diversity as one of the “3 Ds” influencing travel behavior, while Frank et al. (2005) demonstrated that diverse land-use patterns are associated with increased walking and improved public health outcomes. Likewise, Ewing and Cervero (2010) concluded that land-use diversity significantly influences travel behavior by encouraging shorter trips and reducing automobile dependence.

Neighborhoods with High and Very High Employment Mix often benefit from planning policies that preserve mixed-use zoning, encourage adaptive reuse of commercial properties, support small businesses, and maintain pedestrian-oriented commercial districts. Investments in streetscapes, transit access, bicycle infrastructure, and public spaces can further strengthen these neighborhoods by improving connections among diverse employment destinations.

Neighborhoods with Low or Very Low Employment Mix may benefit from strategic infill development, neighborhood commercial centers, mixed-use redevelopment, and zoning reforms that gradually introduce additional employment opportunities while preserving neighborhood character. However, planners should recognize that some neighborhoods intentionally contain specialized land uses—such as airports, industrial parks, military installations, or large recreational areas—where limited employment diversity reflects their intended function rather than a planning deficiency.

Ultimately, Employment Mix should be evaluated alongside residential density, street connectivity, transit accessibility, and the balance between employment and housing to understand how neighborhoods support complete, walkable communities.

Understanding Neighborhood Walkability

Employment Mix contributes to neighborhood walkability by increasing the variety of destinations that residents and visitors can reach within a reasonable walking distance. A neighborhood containing offices, restaurants, healthcare facilities, retail stores, schools, entertainment venues, and public services offers more opportunities for people to accomplish multiple daily activities without relying exclusively on an automobile.

Unlike municipal averages, neighborhood-level Employment Mix captures localized differences in economic activity within the same city. One neighborhood may function primarily as a residential community with few employment destinations, while another may serve as a regional commercial center with offices, restaurants, retail businesses, educational institutions, and entertainment venues located within a compact area.

High Employment Mix generally supports:

• Greater diversity of walkable destinations.
• Increased opportunities for walking throughout the day.
• Stronger local economies.
• Reduced automobile dependence.
• More resilient neighborhood business districts.

Employment Mix alone, however, does not determine neighborhood walkability. A neighborhood may contain numerous employment sectors but still experience poor pedestrian conditions because of wide arterial roads, disconnected street networks, limited sidewalks, or inadequate transit access. Likewise, primarily residential neighborhoods can still provide excellent walking environments when they feature connected street networks, nearby parks, schools, neighborhood commercial areas, and safe pedestrian infrastructure. Consequently, Employment Mix should be interpreted alongside the other components of the National Walkability Index.

Geographic Patterns in Neighborhood Walkability

Neighborhood-level Employment Mix exhibits clear geographic patterns throughout the United States. The highest scores are generally concentrated within downtown business districts, mixed-use commercial centers, university districts, innovation districts, medical centers, and historic commercial neighborhoods, where multiple employment sectors are located within relatively compact areas. Examples within this dataset include neighborhoods such as Downtown Cleveland, Civic Center Denver, Downtown Columbus, Strip District Pittsburgh, South Side Flats Pittsburgh, Downtown San Diego, and Chinatown San Francisco, all of which exhibit high employment diversity.

Lower Employment Mix is more common in single-family residential neighborhoods, industrial districts, airports, military installations, parks, nature preserves, reservoirs, and other specialized land uses where economic activity is concentrated within relatively few sectors. Neighborhoods such as Chatsworth Reservoir (Los Angeles), Harbor Islands (Boston), Golden Gate Park (San Francisco), and Arlington Heights (Pittsburgh) illustrate how specialized land uses can produce low Employment Mix scores despite serving important regional functions.

One of the most important findings is the substantial variation within municipalities. Even highly walkable cities contain neighborhoods ranging from highly diverse employment centers to predominantly residential or specialized districts. This variation demonstrates why neighborhood-scale analysis provides a more detailed understanding of economic diversity than municipal averages alone.

Overall Pattern

The neighborhood Employment Mix dataset demonstrates that employment diversity varies considerably both between cities and within individual municipalities. Rather than being evenly distributed across metropolitan areas, diverse employment centers tend to cluster within compact mixed-use districts where offices, retail establishments, restaurants, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, entertainment venues, and public services occur together.

Across the United States, neighborhoods with the highest Employment Mix scores consistently represent major activity centers that attract residents, workers, and visitors throughout the day. These neighborhoods generate continuous pedestrian activity because multiple trip purposes—including employment, shopping, dining, recreation, education, and healthcare—occur within relatively short distances. In contrast, neighborhoods with lower scores often consist primarily of residential development or specialized land uses that generate fewer types of destinations.

Perhaps the most important conclusion is that Employment Mix reflects the diversity of neighborhood destinations rather than the overall quantity of jobs. A neighborhood containing many jobs concentrated within a single industry may receive a lower score than a neighborhood with fewer total jobs distributed across numerous complementary sectors. When combined with street connectivity, transit accessibility, and a balanced mix of employment and housing, Employment Mix provides planners with valuable insight into how neighborhoods support walkability, economic vitality, and transportation choice.