Work & commute · Wilson

Work & commute in Wilson, NC

40% of Wilson’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Raleigh (6%), Rocky Mount (5%) and Greenville (4%). Half commute less than 18 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

40%

7,590 of 18,972 working residents

Typical commute

18 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

21 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 11,382 Wilson residents head out of town to work, 7,590 work right here, and 22,241 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Wilson.

11,382live here, work elsewhere

7,590live and work here

22,241work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Wilson goes to work

Wilson (in town)right here

40%7,590

Raleigh40.4 mi away

6%1,124

Rocky Mount17.8 mi away

5%959

Greenville32.6 mi away

4%702

Charlotte167.1 mi away

2%393

Goldsboro24.5 mi away

2%361

Kinston36.8 mi away

1%275

Durham56.8 mi away

1%255

Cary50.2 mi away

1%196

Smithfield27.7 mi away

1%186

Everywhere elseother towns and states

37%6,931

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

How far

How far Wilson commutes

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

44%

12%

22%

21%

44%Under 10 mi

12%10–24 mi

22%25–50 mi

21%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Wilson is a job hub

1.57jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Wilson are

29,831 jobs are based in Wilson. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Wilson’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Wilson

29,831 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)29%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)52%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month58%

Jobs Wilson residents hold

18,972 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)23%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)58%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month49%

+1%

Jobs based in Wilson, 2013 → 2023: 29,457 → 29,831. 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.