Work & commute · Grinnell

Work & commute in Grinnell, IA

49% of Grinnell’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Des Moines (4%), Newton (3%) and Marshalltown (2%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

49%

1,951 of 3,981 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

12 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

18%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 2,030 Grinnell residents head out of town to work, 1,951 work right here, and 4,085 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Grinnell.

2,030live here, work elsewhere

1,951live and work here

4,085work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Grinnell goes to work

Grinnell (in town)right here

49%1,951

Des Moines47.1 mi away

4%171

Newton16.5 mi away

3%112

Marshalltown22.7 mi away

2%90

Cedar Rapids56.1 mi away

2%83

West Des Moines56 mi away

2%78

Ankeny45.2 mi away

2%74

Montezuma14.6 mi away

1%50

Waterloo55.7 mi away

1%50

Brooklyn14.4 mi away

1%43

Everywhere elseother towns and states

32%1,279

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

How far

How far Grinnell commutes

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

52%

13%

11%

24%

52%Under 10 mi

13%10–24 mi

11%25–50 mi

24%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Grinnell is a job hub

1.52jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Grinnell are

6,036 jobs are based in Grinnell. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Grinnell’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Grinnell

6,036 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)24%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)61%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month62%

Jobs Grinnell residents hold

3,981 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)62%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month59%

+6%

Jobs based in Grinnell, 2013 → 2023: 5,695 → 6,036. 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.