Work & commute · Norwalk

Work & commute in Norwalk, IA

Most working residents leave Norwalk for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are Des Moines (32%), West Des Moines (19%) and Urbandale (6%). Half commute less than 9 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

631 of 6,946 working residents

Typical commute

9 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

22 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

19%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 6,315 Norwalk residents head out of town to work, 631 work right here, and 1,991 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Norwalk.

6,315live here, work elsewhere

631live and work here

1,991work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Norwalk goes to work

Des Moines7.5 mi away

32%2,220

West Des Moines6.1 mi away

19%1,325

Norwalk (in town)right here

9%631

Urbandale11.2 mi away

6%388

Ankeny17.6 mi away

3%243

Clive10.1 mi away

2%150

Indianola11 mi away

2%126

Johnston14.2 mi away

2%126

Waukee11.9 mi away

1%103

Ames37.5 mi away

1%89

Everywhere elseother towns and states

22%1,545

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

How far

How far Norwalk commutes

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

60%

26%

10%

60%Under 10 mi

26%10–24 mi

5%25–50 mi

10%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Norwalk is a commuter town

0.38jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.38 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Norwalk are

2,622 jobs are based in Norwalk. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Norwalk’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Norwalk

2,622 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)16%

Trade, transport & utilities23%

Services (health, schools, offices…)60%

$1,250 a month or less21%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month51%

Jobs Norwalk residents hold

6,946 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month16%

Over $3,333 a month72%

+72%

Jobs based in Norwalk, 2013 → 2023: 1,527 → 2,622. 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.