Work & commute · Carthage

Work & commute in Carthage, MO

About one in 3 of Carthage’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Joplin (21%), Springfield (5%) and Webb City (3%). Half commute less than 11 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

32%

1,786 of 5,653 working residents

Typical commute

11 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 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 3,867 Carthage residents head out of town to work, 1,786 work right here, and 6,818 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Carthage.

3,867live here, work elsewhere

1,786live and work here

6,818work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Carthage goes to work

Carthage (in town)right here

32%1,786

Joplin11 mi away

21%1,170

Springfield56.9 mi away

5%295

Webb City8 mi away

3%166

Neosho21.1 mi away

2%87

Kansas City137.2 mi away

1%71

Noel42.9 mi away

1%61

Monett26.9 mi away

1%55

Duquesne9.1 mi away

1%50

Southwest City46.3 mi away

1%49

Everywhere elseother towns and states

33%1,863

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

How far

How far Carthage commutes

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

47%

25%

21%

47%Under 10 mi

25%10–24 mi

7%25–50 mi

21%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Carthage is a job hub

1.52jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Carthage are

8,604 jobs are based in Carthage. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Carthage’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Carthage

8,604 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)31%

Trade, transport & utilities28%

Services (health, schools, offices…)41%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month32%

Over $3,333 a month55%

Jobs Carthage residents hold

5,653 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)29%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)50%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month36%

Over $3,333 a month48%

+33%

Jobs based in Carthage, 2013 → 2023: 6,446 → 8,604. 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.