Work & commute · Topeka

Work & commute in Topeka, KS

66% of Topeka’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Lawrence (4%), Soldier (2%) and Overland Park (2%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

66%

34,438 of 52,179 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

17 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

11%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 17,741 Topeka residents head out of town to work, 34,438 work right here, and 47,933 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Topeka.

17,741live here, work elsewhere

34,438live and work here

47,933work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Topeka goes to work

Topeka (in town)right here

66%34,438

Lawrence23.7 mi away

4%1,926

Soldier8.5 mi away

2%1,303

Overland Park55 mi away

2%1,175

Mission5.3 mi away

2%1,074

Topeka4.3 mi away

2%1,019

Wichita129 mi away

2%793

Olathe48.2 mi away

1%683

Lenexa48.1 mi away

1%655

Tecumseh7.1 mi away

1%542

Everywhere elseother towns and states

16%8,571

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

How far

How far Topeka commutes

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

75%

13%

75%Under 10 mi

5%10–24 mi

7%25–50 mi

13%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Topeka is a job hub

1.58jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Topeka are

82,371 jobs are based in Topeka. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Topeka’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Topeka

82,371 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities14%

Services (health, schools, offices…)76%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month57%

Jobs Topeka residents hold

52,179 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month54%

+5%

Jobs based in Topeka, 2013 → 2023: 78,749 → 82,371. 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.