Work & commute · Omaha

Work & commute in Omaha, NE

73% of Omaha’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Lincoln (3%), Council Bluffs (3%) and Papillion (2%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

73%

159,067 of 219,056 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

20 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

15%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 59,989 Omaha residents head out of town to work, 159,067 work right here, and 151,246 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Omaha.

59,989live here, work elsewhere

159,067live and work here

151,246work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Omaha goes to work

Omaha (in town)right here

73%159,067

Lincoln45 mi away

3%7,233

Council Bluffs, IA10.6 mi away

3%5,622

Papillion8.3 mi away

2%5,403

La Vista5.6 mi away

2%4,396

Bellevue10.1 mi away

2%4,372

Gretna11.9 mi away

1%2,325

Boys Town3.7 mi away

1%1,604

Ralston4.4 mi away

1%1,565

Chalco7 mi away

1%1,411

Everywhere elseother towns and states

12%26,058

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

How far

How far Omaha commutes

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

79%

13%

79%Under 10 mi

13%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

4%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Omaha is balanced between jobs and homes

1.42jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.42 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Omaha are

310,313 jobs are based in Omaha. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Omaha’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Omaha

310,313 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)12%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)72%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month23%

Over $3,333 a month63%

Jobs Omaha residents hold

219,056 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)67%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month25%

Over $3,333 a month61%

+9%

Jobs based in Omaha, 2013 → 2023: 285,209 → 310,313. 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.