Work & commute · Wilmington

Work & commute in Wilmington, NC

49% of Wilmington’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Raleigh (3%), Murraysville (3%) and Charlotte (3%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

49%

23,657 of 48,136 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

19%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 24,479 Wilmington residents head out of town to work, 23,657 work right here, and 61,031 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Wilmington.

24,479live here, work elsewhere

23,657live and work here

61,031work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Wilmington goes to work

Wilmington (in town)right here

49%23,657

Raleigh120 mi away

3%1,454

Murraysville6.2 mi away

3%1,352

Charlotte181 mi away

3%1,265

Kings Grant4.2 mi away

2%791

Leland9 mi away

1%682

Myrtle Grove5.7 mi away

1%662

Durham134.9 mi away

1%520

Wrightsville Beach5 mi away

1%519

Porters Neck8.8 mi away

1%497

Everywhere elseother towns and states

35%16,737

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

How far

How far Wilmington commutes

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

66%

25%

66%Under 10 mi

6%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

25%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Wilmington is a job hub

1.76jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Wilmington are

84,688 jobs are based in Wilmington. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Wilmington’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Wilmington

84,688 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)72%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month28%

Over $3,333 a month56%

Jobs Wilmington residents hold

48,136 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month53%

+23%

Jobs based in Wilmington, 2013 → 2023: 68,592 → 84,688. 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.