Work & commute · China

Work & commute in China, ME

Most working residents leave China for work: only 6% work in town. The top destinations are Augusta (27%), Waterville (10%) and Oakland (4%). Half commute less than 15 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

117 of 1,831 working residents

Typical commute

15 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

30 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

13%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,714 China residents head out of town to work, 117 work right here, and 541 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in China.

1,714live here, work elsewhere

117live and work here

541work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where China goes to work

Augusta11.3 mi away

27%499

Waterville11 mi away

10%175

China (in town)right here

6%117

Oakland15 mi away

4%72

Winslow7.8 mi away

4%65

Portland62.9 mi away

3%60

Chelsea14.1 mi away

3%59

Bangor46.6 mi away

2%43

Bath36.7 mi away

2%36

Gardiner19.8 mi away

2%33

Everywhere elseother towns and states

37%672

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

How far

How far China commutes

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

18%

50%

15%

16%

18%Under 10 mi

50%10–24 mi

15%25–50 mi

16%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

China is a commuter town

0.36jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.36 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in China are

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

Jobs based in China

658 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)23%

Trade, transport & utilities37%

Services (health, schools, offices…)40%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month46%

Jobs China residents hold

1,831 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)19%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)60%

$1,250 a month or less11%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month63%

−6%

Jobs based in China, 2013 → 2023: 698 → 658. 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.