Work & commute · Johnston

Work & commute in Johnston, IA

Most working residents leave Johnston for work: only 14% work in town. The top destinations are Des Moines (24%), West Des Moines (16%) and Urbandale (9%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

14%

1,561 of 11,516 working residents

Typical commute

7 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

20 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

14%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 9,955 Johnston residents head out of town to work, 1,561 work right here, and 12,205 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Johnston.

9,955live here, work elsewhere

1,561live and work here

12,205work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Johnston goes to work

Des Moines10.1 mi away

24%2,812

West Des Moines10.2 mi away

16%1,822

Johnston (in town)right here

14%1,561

Urbandale4.8 mi away

9%1,037

Ankeny6.9 mi away

7%757

Grimes4.1 mi away

3%372

Clive6.8 mi away

3%345

Ames23.7 mi away

2%261

Altoona12.9 mi away

1%162

Waukee10.8 mi away

1%159

Everywhere elseother towns and states

19%2,228

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

How far

How far Johnston commutes

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

75%

12%

10%

75%Under 10 mi

12%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

10%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Johnston is balanced between jobs and homes

1.20jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.20 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Johnston are

13,766 jobs are based in Johnston. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Johnston’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Johnston

13,766 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities27%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month18%

Over $3,333 a month70%

Jobs Johnston residents hold

11,516 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)12%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)68%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month17%

Over $3,333 a month69%

+10%

Jobs based in Johnston, 2013 → 2023: 12,488 → 13,766. 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.