Work & commute · Washington

Work & commute in Washington, IA

About one in 3 of Washington’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Iowa City (12%), Cedar Rapids (4%) and Mount Pleasant (3%). Half commute less than 24 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

31%

1,095 of 3,582 working residents

Typical commute

24 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 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 2,487 Washington residents head out of town to work, 1,095 work right here, and 2,265 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Washington.

2,487live here, work elsewhere

1,095live and work here

2,265work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Washington goes to work

Washington (in town)right here

31%1,095

Iowa City26.1 mi away

12%436

Cedar Rapids46 mi away

4%154

Mount Pleasant24.4 mi away

3%95

Des Moines101.1 mi away

2%88

Kalona13.1 mi away

2%77

Coralville28.1 mi away

2%76

Waterloo89.2 mi away

2%67

Riverside14.3 mi away

1%50

Wellman13.9 mi away

1%42

Everywhere elseother towns and states

39%1,402

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

How far

How far Washington commutes

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

35%

18%

24%

35%Under 10 mi

18%10–24 mi

24%25–50 mi

24%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Washington is balanced between jobs and homes

0.94jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.94 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Washington are

3,360 jobs are based in Washington. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Washington

3,360 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)61%

$1,250 a month or less21%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month48%

Jobs Washington residents hold

3,582 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)58%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month54%

−7%

Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 3,629 → 3,360. 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.