Work & commute · Phoenix

Work & commute in Phoenix, AZ

55% of Phoenix’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Scottsdale (10%), Tempe (9%) and Glendale (4%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

55%

389,977 of 710,229 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

19%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 320,252 Phoenix residents head out of town to work, 389,977 work right here, and 569,532 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Phoenix.

320,252live here, work elsewhere

389,977live and work here

569,532work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Phoenix goes to work

Phoenix (in town)right here

55%389,977

Scottsdale15.3 mi away

10%68,831

Tempe15.6 mi away

9%62,601

Glendale6.3 mi away

4%25,805

Chandler24.3 mi away

3%23,155

Mesa24.6 mi away

3%21,148

Peoria21.2 mi away

2%11,014

Gilbert26.9 mi away

1%9,669

Goodyear27.2 mi away

1%9,135

Tolleson12.8 mi away

1%8,973

Everywhere elseother towns and states

11%79,921

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

How far

How far Phoenix commutes

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

50%

41%

50%Under 10 mi

41%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

5%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Phoenix is balanced between jobs and homes

1.35jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.35 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Phoenix are

959,509 jobs are based in Phoenix. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Phoenix’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Phoenix

959,509 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)12%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less11%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month65%

Jobs Phoenix residents hold

710,229 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month62%

+20%

Jobs based in Phoenix, 2013 → 2023: 799,399 → 959,509. 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.