Work & commute · Jefferson

Work & commute in Jefferson, MO

58% of Jefferson’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Columbia (9%), Fulton (2%) and Kansas City (1%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

58%

10,931 of 18,702 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 7,771 Jefferson residents head out of town to work, 10,931 work right here, and 39,932 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Jefferson.

7,771live here, work elsewhere

10,931live and work here

39,932work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Jefferson goes to work

Jefferson City (in town)right here

58%10,931

Columbia27.5 mi away

9%1,710

Fulton23.3 mi away

2%368

Kansas City133.5 mi away

1%227

Springfield112.7 mi away

1%171

St. Louis104.4 mi away

1%144

Holts Summit6.5 mi away

1%117

Sedalia58 mi away

1%110

Osage Beach39.3 mi away

1%103

Wardsville5.2 mi away

1%102

Everywhere elseother towns and states

25%4,719

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.

63%

12%

18%

63%Under 10 mi

7%10–24 mi

12%25–50 mi

18%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Jefferson is a job hub

2.72jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Jefferson are

50,863 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

50,863 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities14%

Services (health, schools, offices…)75%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month61%

Jobs Jefferson residents hold

18,702 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)13%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month56%

+15%

Jobs based in Jefferson, 2013 → 2023: 44,392 → 50,863. 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.