Work & commute · Washington

Work & commute in Washington, MO

Most working residents leave Washington for work: only 4% work in town. The top destinations are St. Joseph (41%), Kansas City (9%) and Cameron (5%). Half commute less than 18 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

28 of 800 working residents

Typical commute

18 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

32 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

12%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 772 Washington residents head out of town to work, 28 work right here, and 206 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Washington.

772live here, work elsewhere

28live and work here

206work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Washington goes to work

St. Joseph15.8 mi away

41%324

Kansas City46.3 mi away

9%72

Cameron16 mi away

5%39

Stewartsville3 mi away

2%16

Independence49.9 mi away

2%15

Osborn9.5 mi away

2%14

Lee's Summit60.8 mi away

2%14

Kansas City, KS47.8 mi away

2%13

Maysville10.5 mi away

1%10

Savannah18.8 mi away

1%9

Everywhere elseother towns and states

34%274

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

How far

How far Washington commutes

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

54%

20%

6%Under 10 mi

54%10–24 mi

20%25–50 mi

20%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Washington is a commuter town

0.29jobs per working resident

A commuter town

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Washington are

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

Jobs based in Washington

234 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)24%

Trade, transport & utilities28%

Services (health, schools, offices…)49%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month52%

Jobs Washington residents hold

800 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)28%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)53%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month62%

+31%

Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 178 → 234. 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.