Work & commute · Centralia

Work & commute in Centralia, MO

About one in 5 of Centralia’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Columbia (39%), Mexico (4%) and Jefferson City (4%). Half commute less than 20 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

22%

445 of 2,019 working residents

Typical commute

20 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 1,574 Centralia residents head out of town to work, 445 work right here, and 1,313 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Centralia.

1,574live here, work elsewhere

445live and work here

1,313work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Centralia goes to work

Columbia20.9 mi away

39%788

Centralia (in town)right here

22%445

Mexico14.4 mi away

4%86

Jefferson City44.5 mi away

4%78

Fulton26.5 mi away

1%30

Kansas City129.6 mi away

1%26

Hallsville8 mi away

1%21

Moberly21.6 mi away

1%21

St. Louis109.1 mi away

1%20

Springfield152.8 mi away

1%19

Everywhere elseother towns and states

24%485

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

How far

How far Centralia commutes

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

26%

48%

18%

26%Under 10 mi

48%10–24 mi

8%25–50 mi

18%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Centralia is balanced between jobs and homes

0.87jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.87 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Centralia are

1,758 jobs are based in Centralia. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Centralia’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Centralia

1,758 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)40%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)39%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs Centralia residents hold

2,019 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)21%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)59%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month54%

+12%

Jobs based in Centralia, 2013 → 2023: 1,566 → 1,758. 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.