Work & commute · Algona

Work & commute in Algona, IA

55% of Algona’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are West Bend (2%), Mason City (2%) and Fort Dodge (2%). Half commute less than 2 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

55%

1,368 of 2,503 working residents

Typical commute

2 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

11 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 1,135 Algona residents head out of town to work, 1,368 work right here, and 2,522 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Algona.

1,135live here, work elsewhere

1,368live and work here

2,522work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Algona goes to work

Algona (in town)right here

55%1,368

West Bend13.4 mi away

2%50

Mason City52.3 mi away

2%50

Fort Dodge39.2 mi away

2%47

Des Moines108.6 mi away

2%44

Humboldt24.4 mi away

1%37

Bancroft15 mi away

1%31

Waterloo103.5 mi away

1%27

Ames78.9 mi away

1%24

Cedar Falls98 mi away

1%20

Everywhere elseother towns and states

32%805

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

How far

How far Algona commutes

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

61%

23%

61%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

7%25–50 mi

23%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Algona is a job hub

1.55jobs per working resident

A job hub

1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Algona are

3,890 jobs are based in Algona. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Algona’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Algona

3,890 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)33%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)48%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month22%

Over $3,333 a month62%

Jobs Algona residents hold

2,503 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)32%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)51%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month21%

Over $3,333 a month61%

−1%

Jobs based in Algona, 2013 → 2023: 3,943 → 3,890. 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.