Work & commute · Boone

Work & commute in Boone, IA

About one in 4 of Boone’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Ames (24%), Des Moines (6%) and West Des Moines (3%). Half commute less than 14 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

25%

1,406 of 5,568 working residents

Typical commute

14 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 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 4,162 Boone residents head out of town to work, 1,406 work right here, and 2,833 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Boone.

4,162live here, work elsewhere

1,406live and work here

2,833work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Boone goes to work

Boone (in town)right here

25%1,406

Ames13 mi away

24%1,351

Des Moines35.6 mi away

6%354

West Des Moines34.8 mi away

3%193

Ankeny26 mi away

3%189

Nevada20.8 mi away

2%97

Urbandale28.9 mi away

2%91

Woodward13.8 mi away

1%73

Story City17.4 mi away

1%63

Madrid12.3 mi away

1%61

Everywhere elseother towns and states

30%1,690

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

How far

How far Boone commutes

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

32%

33%

24%

11%

32%Under 10 mi

33%10–24 mi

24%25–50 mi

11%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Boone is balanced between jobs and homes

0.76jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.76 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Boone are

4,239 jobs are based in Boone. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Boone’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Boone

4,239 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities25%

Services (health, schools, offices…)63%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month49%

Jobs Boone residents hold

5,568 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)18%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)60%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month59%

−13%

Jobs based in Boone, 2013 → 2023: 4,863 → 4,239. 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.