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Work & commute · Lawrence

Work & commute in Lawrence, KS

52% of Lawrence’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Topeka (7%), Overland Park (6%) and Kansas City (4%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times
Work in town
52%
20,956 of 40,541 working residents
Typical commute
5 mi
Half commute less than this, straight-line
Average commute time
20 min
One way, from the Census survey
Work from home
16%
of workers, from the Census survey
Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 19,585 Lawrence residents head out of town to work, 20,956 work right here, and 21,042 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Lawrence.

19,585live here, work elsewhere
20,956live and work here
21,042work here, live elsewhere
Leave for workStayCome in
The map

Where Lawrence goes to work

EudoraOttawaLawrenceShawneeLenexaWichitaOverland ParkTopekaKansas CityOlatheKansas CityKanwakaGrantEudoraClintonWakarusaTopekaOverland ParkKansas CityOlatheLenexaKansas CityWichitaShawneeOttawaLawrence
1
Lawrence (in town)right here
52%20,956
2
Topeka23.7 mi away
7%2,719
3
Overland Park31.3 mi away
6%2,503
4
Kansas City, MO40 mi away
4%1,529
5
Olathe24.5 mi away
4%1,453
6
Lenexa24.8 mi away
3%1,355
7
Kansas City30.3 mi away
3%1,159
8
Wichita143 mi away
2%611
9
Shawnee25 mi away
1%522
10
Ottawa25 mi away
1%332
Everywhere elseother towns and states
18%7,402

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

How far

How far Lawrence commutes

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

54%Under 10 mi
12%10–24 mi
26%25–50 mi
8%Over 50 mi
Job hub or commuter town?

Lawrence is balanced between jobs and homes

1.04jobs per working resident
Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.04 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Lawrence are

41,998 jobs are based in Lawrence. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Lawrence’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Lawrence

41,998 jobs
Goods (factories, building, farms)14%
Trade, transport & utilities15%
Services (health, schools, offices…)71%
$1,250 a month or less20%
$1,251–$3,333 a month28%
Over $3,333 a month51%

Jobs Lawrence residents hold

40,541 working residents
Goods (factories, building, farms)13%
Trade, transport & utilities17%
Services (health, schools, offices…)70%
$1,250 a month or less17%
$1,251–$3,333 a month27%
Over $3,333 a month56%
+5%

Jobs based in Lawrence, 2013 → 2023: 40,019 → 41,998. 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.

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Where to, neighbor?

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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