Work & commute · Chariton

Work & commute in Chariton, IA

About one in 3 of Chariton’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Des Moines (8%), West Des Moines (6%) and Ankeny (4%). Half commute less than 40 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

31%

557 of 1,813 working residents

Typical commute

40 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 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 1,256 Chariton residents head out of town to work, 557 work right here, and 1,967 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Chariton.

1,256live here, work elsewhere

557live and work here

1,967work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Chariton goes to work

Chariton (in town)right here

31%557

Des Moines41.4 mi away

8%136

West Des Moines44.2 mi away

6%113

Ankeny51.6 mi away

4%73

Osceola24.9 mi away

3%53

Ottumwa46.2 mi away

2%41

Knoxville23.4 mi away

2%40

Ames71.5 mi away

2%38

Corydon17.9 mi away

2%34

Urbandale49.3 mi away

1%24

Everywhere elseother towns and states

39%704

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

How far

How far Chariton commutes

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

33%

32%

26%

33%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

32%25–50 mi

26%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Chariton is balanced between jobs and homes

1.39jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.39 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Chariton are

2,524 jobs are based in Chariton. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Chariton’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Chariton

2,524 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities50%

Services (health, schools, offices…)39%

$1,250 a month or less28%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month41%

Jobs Chariton residents hold

1,813 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)19%

Trade, transport & utilities36%

Services (health, schools, offices…)46%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month53%

+14%

Jobs based in Chariton, 2013 → 2023: 2,222 → 2,524. 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.