Work & commute · Webster

Work & commute in Webster, IA

41% of Webster’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Fort Dodge (7%), Ames (3%) and Clarion (2%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

41%

1,331 of 3,267 working residents

Typical commute

10 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

18 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 1,936 Webster residents head out of town to work, 1,331 work right here, and 2,098 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Webster.

1,936live here, work elsewhere

1,331live and work here

2,098work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Webster goes to work

Webster City (in town)right here

41%1,331

Fort Dodge18.5 mi away

7%241

Ames31.8 mi away

3%113

Clarion19.2 mi away

2%75

Des Moines62.4 mi away

2%50

Iowa Falls28.3 mi away

1%46

Story City22.5 mi away

1%45

West Des Moines63.1 mi away

1%34

Eagle Grove14.7 mi away

1%33

Storm Lake71.3 mi away

1%29

Everywhere elseother towns and states

39%1,270

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

How far

How far Webster commutes

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

49%

20%

10%

20%

49%Under 10 mi

20%10–24 mi

10%25–50 mi

20%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Webster is balanced between jobs and homes

1.05jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.05 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Webster are

3,429 jobs are based in Webster. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Webster’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Webster

3,429 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)26%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)58%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month53%

Jobs Webster residents hold

3,267 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)30%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)48%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month59%

−1%

Jobs based in Webster, 2013 → 2023: 3,452 → 3,429. 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.