Work & commute · Fairfield

Work & commute in Fairfield, IA

50% of Fairfield’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Ottumwa (3%), Des Moines (3%) and Mount Pleasant (2%). Half commute less than 2 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times
Work in town
50%
1,858 of 3,681 working residents
Typical commute
2 mi
Half commute less than this, straight-line
Average commute time
13 min
One way, from the Census survey
Work from home
25%
of workers, from the Census survey
Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,823 Fairfield residents head out of town to work, 1,858 work right here, and 3,189 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Fairfield.

1,823live here, work elsewhere
1,858live and work here
3,189work here, live elsewhere
Leave for workStayCome in
The map

Where Fairfield goes to work

BataviaLockridgeKeosauquaMaharishi Vedic CityWashingtonFairfieldMount PleasantBurlingtonOttumwaIowa CityAmesCedar RapidsDes MoinesWest Des MoinesOttumwaDes MoinesMount PleasantWest Des MoinesCedar RapidsIowa CityWashingtonMaharishi Vedic CityAmesFairfield
1
Fairfield (in town)right here
50%1,858
2
Ottumwa23.8 mi away
3%126
3
Des Moines93.9 mi away
3%116
4
Mount Pleasant22.1 mi away
2%68
5
West Des Moines101.4 mi away
1%46
6
Cedar Rapids67.8 mi away
1%41
7
Iowa City50.2 mi away
1%35
8
Washington24.6 mi away
1%33
91%30
10
Ames110.9 mi away
1%29
Everywhere elseother towns and states
35%1,299

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

How far

How far Fairfield commutes

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

62%Under 10 mi
8%10–24 mi
5%25–50 mi
25%Over 50 mi
Job hub or commuter town?

Fairfield is balanced between jobs and homes

1.37jobs per working resident
Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.37 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Fairfield are

5,047 jobs are based in Fairfield. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Fairfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Fairfield

5,047 jobs
Goods (factories, building, farms)20%
Trade, transport & utilities14%
Services (health, schools, offices…)67%
$1,250 a month or less17%
$1,251–$3,333 a month33%
Over $3,333 a month50%

Jobs Fairfield residents hold

3,681 working residents
Goods (factories, building, farms)17%
Trade, transport & utilities20%
Services (health, schools, offices…)64%
$1,250 a month or less18%
$1,251–$3,333 a month33%
Over $3,333 a month49%
−1%

Jobs based in Fairfield, 2013 → 2023: 5,115 → 5,047. 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01