Work & commute · Elizabeth

Work & commute in Elizabeth, NC

About one in 3 of Elizabeth’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Chesapeake (4%), Virginia Beach (3%) and Greenville (3%). Half commute less than 18 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

35%

2,533 of 7,195 working residents

Typical commute

18 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

26 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 4,662 Elizabeth residents head out of town to work, 2,533 work right here, and 8,358 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Elizabeth.

4,662live here, work elsewhere

2,533live and work here

8,358work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Elizabeth goes to work

Elizabeth City (in town)right here

35%2,533

Chesapeake, VA26.8 mi away

4%291

Virginia Beach, VA35.5 mi away

3%233

Greenville79.8 mi away

3%221

Norfolk, VA43.4 mi away

3%213

Raleigh138 mi away

3%205

Edenton25.9 mi away

1%100

Charlotte268.2 mi away

1%86

Kill Devil Hills37 mi away

1%84

Portsmouth, VA40 mi away

1%80

Everywhere elseother towns and states

44%3,149

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

How far

How far Elizabeth commutes

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

45%

20%

27%

45%Under 10 mi

7%10–24 mi

20%25–50 mi

27%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Elizabeth is a job hub

1.51jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Elizabeth are

10,891 jobs are based in Elizabeth. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Elizabeth’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Elizabeth

10,891 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)5%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)76%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month47%

Jobs Elizabeth residents hold

7,195 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)12%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)68%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month37%

Over $3,333 a month45%

+5%

Jobs based in Elizabeth, 2013 → 2023: 10,352 → 10,891. 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.