Work & commute · Erie

Work & commute in Erie, PA

47% of Erie’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Millcreek (17%), Summit (5%) and Harborcreek (3%). Half commute less than 3 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

47%

17,087 of 36,506 working residents

Typical commute

3 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 19,419 Erie residents head out of town to work, 17,087 work right here, and 31,648 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Erie.

19,419live here, work elsewhere

17,087live and work here

31,648work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Erie goes to work

Erie (in town)right here

47%17,087

Millcreek3.2 mi away

17%6,248

Summit5.1 mi away

5%1,954

Harborcreek6.3 mi away

3%1,160

Fairview10.4 mi away

2%796

Pittsburgh116 mi away

2%702

Lawrence Park3.5 mi away

2%657

North East13.9 mi away

1%245

North East14 mi away

1%222

Philadelphia295.6 mi away

0%172

Everywhere elseother towns and states

20%7,263

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

How far

How far Erie commutes

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

77%

17%

77%Under 10 mi

5%10–24 mi

2%25–50 mi

17%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Erie is balanced between jobs and homes

1.33jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.33 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Erie are

48,735 jobs are based in Erie. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Erie’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Erie

48,735 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)14%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)76%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month58%

Jobs Erie residents hold

36,506 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less18%

$1,251–$3,333 a month36%

Over $3,333 a month46%

−3%

Jobs based in Erie, 2013 → 2023: 50,167 → 48,735. 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.