Work & commute · Carbondale

Work & commute in Carbondale, IL

40% of Carbondale’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Marion (9%), Murphysboro (5%) and Springfield (2%). Half commute less than 9 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

40%

2,576 of 6,444 working residents

Typical commute

9 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

12%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 3,868 Carbondale residents head out of town to work, 2,576 work right here, and 12,994 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Carbondale.

3,868live here, work elsewhere

2,576live and work here

12,994work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Carbondale goes to work

Carbondale (in town)right here

40%2,576

Marion15.5 mi away

9%575

Murphysboro6.7 mi away

5%316

Springfield144.7 mi away

2%148

Herrin11.8 mi away

2%139

Chicago295.8 mi away

2%108

Mount Vernon44.2 mi away

1%87

Carbondale0.9 mi away

1%86

West Frankfort20.1 mi away

1%73

Anna18 mi away

1%70

Everywhere elseother towns and states

35%2,266

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

How far

How far Carbondale commutes

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

51%

18%

25%

51%Under 10 mi

18%10–24 mi

6%25–50 mi

25%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Carbondale is a job hub

2.42jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.4 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Carbondale are

15,570 jobs are based in Carbondale. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Carbondale’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Carbondale

15,570 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)5%

Trade, transport & utilities13%

Services (health, schools, offices…)82%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs Carbondale residents hold

6,444 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)72%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month38%

Over $3,333 a month44%

−5%

Jobs based in Carbondale, 2013 → 2023: 16,476 → 15,570. 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.