Work & commute · Dunkirk

Work & commute in Dunkirk, NY

About one in 3 of Dunkirk’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Pomfret (10%), Dunkirk (7%) and Jamestown (5%). Half commute less than 8 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

31%

1,356 of 4,414 working residents

Typical commute

8 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 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 3,058 Dunkirk residents head out of town to work, 1,356 work right here, and 2,640 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Dunkirk.

3,058live here, work elsewhere

1,356live and work here

2,640work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Dunkirk goes to work

Dunkirk (in town)right here

31%1,356

Pomfret5.2 mi away

10%435

Dunkirk1 mi away

7%305

Jamestown26.9 mi away

5%216

Buffalo37.3 mi away

4%181

Chautauqua18.7 mi away

3%123

Amherst46.9 mi away

3%111

Hanover11.1 mi away

2%105

Sheridan5.5 mi away

2%97

Evans20.6 mi away

2%97

Everywhere elseother towns and states

31%1,388

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

How far

How far Dunkirk commutes

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

51%

11%

23%

15%

51%Under 10 mi

11%10–24 mi

23%25–50 mi

15%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Dunkirk is balanced between jobs and homes

0.91jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.91 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Dunkirk are

3,996 jobs are based in Dunkirk. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Dunkirk’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Dunkirk

3,996 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)33%

Trade, transport & utilities8%

Services (health, schools, offices…)59%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month30%

Over $3,333 a month57%

Jobs Dunkirk residents hold

4,414 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities16%

Services (health, schools, offices…)62%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month49%

−3%

Jobs based in Dunkirk, 2013 → 2023: 4,124 → 3,996. 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.