Work & commute · Oelwein

Work & commute in Oelwein, IA

About one in 3 of Oelwein’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Waterloo (11%), Independence (8%) and Cedar Rapids (4%). Half commute less than 21 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

33%

855 of 2,558 working residents

Typical commute

21 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

23 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,703 Oelwein residents head out of town to work, 855 work right here, and 1,869 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Oelwein.

1,703live here, work elsewhere

855live and work here

1,869work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Oelwein goes to work

Oelwein (in town)right here

33%855

Waterloo25.5 mi away

11%275

Independence14.5 mi away

8%193

Cedar Rapids50.3 mi away

4%107

Cedar Falls29.5 mi away

3%72

Dubuque62.5 mi away

2%43

Des Moines115.5 mi away

2%39

Waverly28.5 mi away

1%30

West Des Moines123.2 mi away

1%26

Jesup15.7 mi away

1%24

Everywhere elseother towns and states

35%894

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

How far

How far Oelwein commutes

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

37%

17%

23%

37%Under 10 mi

17%10–24 mi

23%25–50 mi

23%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Oelwein is balanced between jobs and homes

1.06jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.06 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Oelwein are

2,724 jobs are based in Oelwein. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Oelwein’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Oelwein

2,724 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)25%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)53%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month25%

Over $3,333 a month57%

Jobs Oelwein residents hold

2,558 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)26%

Trade, transport & utilities23%

Services (health, schools, offices…)51%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month55%

+5%

Jobs based in Oelwein, 2013 → 2023: 2,585 → 2,724. 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.