Work & commute · Metairie

Work & commute in Metairie, LA

About one in 4 of Metairie’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are New Orleans (29%), Kenner (6%) and Elmwood (6%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

25%

14,001 of 55,258 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

22 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 41,257 Metairie residents head out of town to work, 14,001 work right here, and 52,477 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Metairie.

41,257live here, work elsewhere

14,001live and work here

52,477work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Metairie goes to work

New Orleans15.1 mi away

29%16,054

Metairie (in town)right here

25%14,001

Kenner4.7 mi away

6%3,566

Elmwood3 mi away

6%3,430

Jefferson2.8 mi away

4%2,074

Baton Rouge64.7 mi away

3%1,481

Marrero8.6 mi away

2%1,246

Gretna9.6 mi away

2%892

Harvey10 mi away

1%828

St. Rose8.1 mi away

1%567

Everywhere elseother towns and states

20%11,119

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

How far

How far Metairie commutes

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

75%

10%

75%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

6%25–50 mi

10%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Metairie is balanced between jobs and homes

1.20jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.20 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Metairie are

66,478 jobs are based in Metairie. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Metairie’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Metairie

66,478 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)71%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs Metairie residents hold

55,258 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month60%

−3%

Jobs based in Metairie, 2013 → 2023: 68,539 → 66,478. 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.