Work & commute · Iola

Work & commute in Iola, KS

About one in 3 of Iola’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Humboldt (7%), Chanute (6%) and Arkansas City (4%). Half commute less than 17 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

37%

883 of 2,370 working residents

Typical commute

17 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

17 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 1,487 Iola residents head out of town to work, 883 work right here, and 2,334 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Iola.

1,487live here, work elsewhere

883live and work here

2,334work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Iola goes to work

Iola (in town)right here

37%883

Humboldt8.2 mi away

7%161

Chanute18.2 mi away

6%133

Arkansas City107.5 mi away

4%93

Wichita107.6 mi away

3%79

Topeka78.1 mi away

2%50

Fort Scott38.6 mi away

2%38

Pittsburg52.3 mi away

2%37

Overland Park76.7 mi away

2%37

Osage City53.9 mi away

1%32

Everywhere elseother towns and states

35%827

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

How far

How far Iola commutes

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

48%

36%

48%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

8%25–50 mi

36%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Iola is balanced between jobs and homes

1.36jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.36 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Iola are

3,217 jobs are based in Iola. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Iola’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Iola

3,217 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)27%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)53%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month48%

Jobs Iola residents hold

2,370 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)24%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)57%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month46%

−4%

Jobs based in Iola, 2013 → 2023: 3,365 → 3,217. 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.