Work & commute · Jefferson

Work & commute in Jefferson, LA

Most working residents leave Jefferson for work: only 9% work in town. The top destinations are New Orleans (33%), Metairie (16%) and Elmwood (9%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

416 of 4,655 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

14%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 4,239 Jefferson residents head out of town to work, 416 work right here, and 14,714 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Jefferson.

4,239live here, work elsewhere

416live and work here

14,714work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Jefferson goes to work

New Orleans14.7 mi away

33%1,513

Metairie2.8 mi away

16%762

Elmwood1.9 mi away

9%419

Jefferson (in town)right here

9%416

Kenner6.8 mi away

5%227

Baton Rouge67.1 mi away

2%106

Marrero5.8 mi away

2%104

Gretna7.1 mi away

2%96

Harvey7.3 mi away

1%57

Luling12.6 mi away

1%47

Everywhere elseother towns and states

20%908

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

How far

How far Jefferson commutes

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

80%

80%Under 10 mi

5%10–24 mi

5%25–50 mi

9%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Jefferson is a job hub

3.25jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Jefferson are

15,130 jobs are based in Jefferson. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Jefferson’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Jefferson

15,130 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)5%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)84%

$1,250 a month or less8%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month61%

Jobs Jefferson residents hold

4,655 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)12%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)67%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month58%

+14%

Jobs based in Jefferson, 2013 → 2023: 13,228 → 15,130. 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.