Work & commute · Meridian

Work & commute in Meridian, MS

56% of Meridian’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Jackson (3%), Laurel (1%) and Hattiesburg (1%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

56%

6,613 of 11,774 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 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 5,161 Meridian residents head out of town to work, 6,613 work right here, and 17,869 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Meridian.

5,161live here, work elsewhere

6,613live and work here

17,869work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Meridian goes to work

Meridian (in town)right here

56%6,613

Jackson89 mi away

3%346

Laurel55 mi away

1%176

Hattiesburg83 mi away

1%153

Marion3.9 mi away

1%143

Forest45.9 mi away

1%140

Philadelphia36.9 mi away

1%140

Meridian Station12.3 mi away

1%131

Flowood80.8 mi away

1%102

Newton27 mi away

1%97

Everywhere elseother towns and states

32%3,733

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

How far

How far Meridian commutes

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

63%

28%

63%Under 10 mi

3%10–24 mi

6%25–50 mi

28%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Meridian is a job hub

2.08jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Meridian are

24,482 jobs are based in Meridian. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Meridian’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Meridian

24,482 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month39%

Over $3,333 a month42%

Jobs Meridian residents hold

11,774 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)65%

$1,250 a month or less21%

$1,251–$3,333 a month42%

Over $3,333 a month37%

−9%

Jobs based in Meridian, 2013 → 2023: 27,028 → 24,482. 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.