Work & commute · American

Work & commute in American, OH

Most working residents leave American for work: only 13% work in town. The top destinations are Lima (26%), Bath (6%) and Shawnee (6%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

13%

780 of 6,068 working residents

Typical commute

7 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

18 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 5,288 American residents head out of town to work, 780 work right here, and 6,403 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in American.

5,288live here, work elsewhere

780live and work here

6,403work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where American goes to work

Lima3.9 mi away

26%1,568

American (in town)right here

11%648

Bath7.1 mi away

6%361

Shawnee5.4 mi away

6%339

Columbus82.8 mi away

2%145

Elida1.7 mi away

2%132

Perry9.6 mi away

2%131

Wapakoneta14.1 mi away

2%114

Delphos9.9 mi away

1%86

Findlay34.1 mi away

1%86

Everywhere elseother towns and states

41%2,458

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

How far

How far American commutes

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

57%

13%

21%

57%Under 10 mi

13%10–24 mi

9%25–50 mi

21%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

American is balanced between jobs and homes

1.18jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.18 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in American are

7,183 jobs are based in American. Here is what they are, next to the jobs American’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in American

7,183 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)26%

Trade, transport & utilities25%

Services (health, schools, offices…)49%

$1,250 a month or less24%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month47%

Jobs American residents hold

6,068 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)25%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)56%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month57%

+1%

Jobs based in American, 2013 → 2023: 7,102 → 7,183. 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.