Work & commute · Elmira

Work & commute in Elmira, NY

About one in 3 of Elmira’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Horseheads (13%), Big Flats (5%) and Corning (5%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

31%

2,511 of 8,220 working residents

Typical commute

7 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 5,709 Elmira residents head out of town to work, 2,511 work right here, and 10,095 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Elmira.

5,709live here, work elsewhere

2,511live and work here

10,095work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Elmira goes to work

Elmira (in town)right here

31%2,511

Horseheads4.7 mi away

13%1,061

Big Flats6.2 mi away

5%435

Corning13.2 mi away

5%396

Southport4.6 mi away

2%199

Erwin17.3 mi away

2%146

Corning11.2 mi away

2%145

Elmira1.6 mi away

2%141

New York178.7 mi away

2%136

Ithaca28.8 mi away

2%131

Everywhere elseother towns and states

36%2,919

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

How far

How far Elmira commutes

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

54%

15%

22%

54%Under 10 mi

15%10–24 mi

9%25–50 mi

22%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Elmira is a job hub

1.53jobs per working resident

A job hub

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Elmira are

12,606 jobs are based in Elmira. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Elmira’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Elmira

12,606 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)73%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month61%

Jobs Elmira residents hold

8,220 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)15%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)65%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month36%

Over $3,333 a month48%

−17%

Jobs based in Elmira, 2013 → 2023: 15,270 → 12,606. 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.