Work & commute · Ashland

Work & commute in Ashland, KY

About one in 3 of Ashland’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Huntington (6%), Lexington-Fayette urban county (3%) and Russell (3%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

39%

3,118 of 7,967 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

21 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 4,849 Ashland residents head out of town to work, 3,118 work right here, and 11,543 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Ashland.

4,849live here, work elsewhere

3,118live and work here

11,543work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Ashland goes to work

Ashland (in town)right here

39%3,118

Huntington, WV11.9 mi away

6%478

Lexington-Fayette urban county102.5 mi away

3%215

Russell4.6 mi away

3%210

Ironton, OH5.4 mi away

2%156

Catlettsburg3.7 mi away

2%147

Flatwoods6.4 mi away

1%112

Westwood2.4 mi away

1%96

Grayson17.9 mi away

1%92

Portsmouth, OH26.1 mi away

1%72

Everywhere elseother towns and states

41%3,271

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

How far

How far Ashland commutes

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

62%

14%

19%

62%Under 10 mi

14%10–24 mi

5%25–50 mi

19%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Ashland is a job hub

1.84jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Ashland are

14,661 jobs are based in Ashland. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Ashland’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Ashland

14,661 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)3%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)81%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month35%

Over $3,333 a month48%

Jobs Ashland residents hold

7,967 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month49%

−3%

Jobs based in Ashland, 2013 → 2023: 15,155 → 14,661. 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.