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Work & commute in Wolf Creek · A job hub

Every workday, about 27 people come to Wolf Creek for work

Most working residents leave Wolf Creek for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Helena (44%), Bozeman (11%) and Lockwood (11%). Half commute less than 28 miles.

Work in town
0%
0 of 9 working residents
Typical commute
28 mi
half travel less, straight-line
Work from home
0%
Less than MT (13%)
Jobs based here
27
A job hub

What kind of work town is Wolf Creek?

Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Day and night

Wolf Creek’s population more than doubles on a workday

On a workday 9 residents head out to work, 0 work right here, and 27 people come in from elsewhere.

9live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
27work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night12
Workday30
12live here− 9head out to work+ 27come in to work= 30on a workday

About 30 people are in Wolf Creek on a workday afternoon, 150% more than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
3.00jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

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

Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.

The commute map

Where Wolf Creek’s workers come from

A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.

East Helena: 1 workers live here (4%)Kalispell: 1 workers live here (4%)Helena: 3 workers live here (11%)BozemanWolf CreekGilman: 1 workers live here (4%)LockwoodLincoln: 1 workers live here (4%)Helena Valley Northwest: 2 workers live here (7%)Helena West SideMontana City: 2 workers live here (7%)Helena Valley West Central: 3 workers live here (11%)Helena Valley Northeast: 7 workers live here (26%)Helena Valley NortheastHelenaHelena Valley West CentralHelena Valley NorthwestMontana CityEast HelenaWolf Creek
126%7
2
Helena28.5 mi away
11%3
47%2
5
Montana City33.9 mi away
7%2
6
East Helena30 mi away
4%1
7
Kalispell134.3 mi away
4%1
8
Gilman37.3 mi away
4%1
9
Lincoln28.6 mi away
4%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
22%6
The top trips

Where Wolf Creek clocks in

Lines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.

How far

Half of Wolf Creek commutes less than 28 miles

Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miHelena: 44% · 28.5 miBozeman: 11% · 103.5 miLockwood: 11% · 192.9 miHelena West Side: 11% · 28.4 miHelena 44%Bozeman 11%Lockwood 11%Helena West Side 11%Wolf Creek
Wolf CreekTop destinations (size = commuters)
0%Under 10 mi0 residents
0%10–24 mi0 residents
67%25–50 mi6 residents
33%Over 50 mi3 residents

About 33% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.

Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.

The jobs

What the 27 jobs in Wolf Creek are

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

Jobs based in Wolf CreekJobs Wolf Creek residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms11%22%
Trade, transport & utilities22%11%
Services: health, schools, offices67%67%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less37%11%
$1,251–$3,333 a month48%11%
Over $3,333 a month15%78%

Who does it

29 or younger15%0%
30 to 5463%56%
55 and older22%44%
+50%

Jobs based in Wolf Creek, 2013 → 2023: 18 → 27. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.

Time on the road

Working from home in Wolf Creek

From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.

Working from home
0%

of Wolf Creek workers work from home, vs 13% across Montana. Their commute is the hallway.

About 0 in 10
How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

  • Every worker, home to work. The 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 says. A 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 surveys. Flows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: the Census American Community Survey.
  • Straight lines. Distances are as the crow flies between home and work. Roads, rivers and traffic make the real trip longer.
Beyond the commute

More of Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek home →

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Wolf Creek, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is the commute from Wolf Creek worth it?

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Ask neighbors

Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.

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