Work & commute · Washington

Work & commute in Washington, NC

About one in 4 of Washington’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Greenville (16%), Raleigh (3%) and New Bern (2%). Half commute less than 20 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

25%

914 of 3,669 working residents

Typical commute

20 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

20 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 2,755 Washington residents head out of town to work, 914 work right here, and 7,046 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Washington.

2,755live here, work elsewhere

914live and work here

7,046work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Washington goes to work

Washington (in town)right here

25%914

Greenville18.5 mi away

16%585

Raleigh91.3 mi away

3%118

New Bern32.6 mi away

2%69

Wilson50.9 mi away

1%53

Williamston19.5 mi away

1%47

Charlotte214.5 mi away

1%45

Rocky Mount51 mi away

1%41

Kinston36.7 mi away

1%40

Durham107.6 mi away

1%40

Everywhere elseother towns and states

47%1,717

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.

35%

26%

10%

29%

35%Under 10 mi

26%10–24 mi

10%25–50 mi

29%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Washington is a job hub

2.17jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Washington are

7,960 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

7,960 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities28%

Services (health, schools, offices…)57%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month38%

Over $3,333 a month44%

Jobs Washington residents hold

3,669 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)64%

$1,250 a month or less19%

$1,251–$3,333 a month35%

Over $3,333 a month46%

+7%

Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 7,470 → 7,960. 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.