Work & commute · Roanoke

Work & commute in Roanoke, AL

About one in 3 of Roanoke’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are LaGrange (7%), Opelika (4%) and West Point (3%). Half commute less than 22 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

30%

682 of 2,304 working residents

Typical commute

22 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

22 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,622 Roanoke residents head out of town to work, 682 work right here, and 1,836 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Roanoke.

1,622live here, work elsewhere

682live and work here

1,836work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Roanoke goes to work

Roanoke (in town)right here

30%682

LaGrange, GA20.8 mi away

7%166

Opelika33.5 mi away

4%85

West Point, GA21.6 mi away

3%73

Wedowee13.1 mi away

3%67

Carrollton, GA34.4 mi away

2%52

Franklin, GA18.2 mi away

2%49

Auburn37.8 mi away

2%47

Birmingham86.5 mi away

2%47

Anniston44.5 mi away

2%37

Everywhere elseother towns and states

43%999

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

How far

How far Roanoke commutes

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

33%

22%

20%

26%

33%Under 10 mi

22%10–24 mi

20%25–50 mi

26%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Roanoke is balanced between jobs and homes

1.09jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.09 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Roanoke are

2,518 jobs are based in Roanoke. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Roanoke’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Roanoke

2,518 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)37%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)42%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month39%

Over $3,333 a month42%

Jobs Roanoke residents hold

2,304 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)36%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)46%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month37%

Over $3,333 a month45%

−1%

Jobs based in Roanoke, 2013 → 2023: 2,533 → 2,518. 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.