Work & commute · Knoxville

Work & commute in Knoxville, IA

About one in 3 of Knoxville’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Des Moines (9%), Pella (7%) and West Des Moines (4%). Half commute less than 13 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

29%

1,010 of 3,490 working residents

Typical commute

13 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

23 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

11%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 2,480 Knoxville residents head out of town to work, 1,010 work right here, and 2,883 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Knoxville.

2,480live here, work elsewhere

1,010live and work here

2,883work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Knoxville goes to work

Knoxville (in town)right here

29%1,010

Des Moines31.6 mi away

9%321

Pella11.3 mi away

7%230

West Des Moines38.6 mi away

4%135

Ankeny38.4 mi away

3%89

Ames55.8 mi away

2%70

Oskaloosa24 mi away

2%65

Urbandale41.4 mi away

1%49

Indianola24.2 mi away

1%48

Newton26.3 mi away

1%42

Everywhere elseother towns and states

41%1,431

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

How far

How far Knoxville commutes

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

36%

21%

29%

15%

36%Under 10 mi

21%10–24 mi

29%25–50 mi

15%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Knoxville is balanced between jobs and homes

1.12jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.12 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Knoxville are

3,893 jobs are based in Knoxville. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Knoxville’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Knoxville

3,893 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)38%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)47%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month22%

Over $3,333 a month62%

Jobs Knoxville residents hold

3,490 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)30%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)51%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month23%

Over $3,333 a month60%

+11%

Jobs based in Knoxville, 2013 → 2023: 3,504 → 3,893. 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.