Work & commute · Watonga

Work & commute in Watonga, OK

About one in 5 of Watonga’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (14%), Okeene (4%) and El Reno (4%). Half commute less than 36 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

21%

243 of 1,145 working residents

Typical commute

36 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 902 Watonga residents head out of town to work, 243 work right here, and 564 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Watonga.

902live here, work elsewhere

243live and work here

564work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Watonga goes to work

Watonga (in town)right here

21%243

Oklahoma City56.4 mi away

14%156

Okeene19.2 mi away

4%49

El Reno32.6 mi away

4%47

Kingfisher26 mi away

3%31

Elk City65.7 mi away

2%21

The Village51.1 mi away

2%18

Edmond56.8 mi away

1%17

Norman72.7 mi away

1%16

Clinton39.6 mi away

1%15

Everywhere elseother towns and states

46%532

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

How far

How far Watonga commutes

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

30%

20%

41%

30%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

20%25–50 mi

41%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Watonga is a commuter town

0.70jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.70 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Watonga are

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

Jobs based in Watonga

807 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)19%

Trade, transport & utilities23%

Services (health, schools, offices…)58%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month37%

Over $3,333 a month47%

Jobs Watonga residents hold

1,145 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)21%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)57%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month38%

Over $3,333 a month47%

−8%

Jobs based in Watonga, 2013 → 2023: 878 → 807. 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.