Work & commute · Midland

Work & commute in Midland, TX

52% of Midland’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Odessa (10%), Lubbock (2%) and Houston (2%). Half commute less than 6 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

52%

31,933 of 61,618 working residents

Typical commute

6 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

20 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 29,685 Midland residents head out of town to work, 31,933 work right here, and 43,378 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Midland.

29,685live here, work elsewhere

31,933live and work here

43,378work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Midland goes to work

Midland (in town)right here

52%31,933

Odessa16.8 mi away

10%5,961

Lubbock107 mi away

2%1,376

Houston427.5 mi away

2%949

San Antonio277 mi away

1%545

West Odessa26.1 mi away

1%455

Dallas316.3 mi away

1%433

San Angelo105.7 mi away

1%431

Austin283.9 mi away

1%404

Abilene142 mi away

1%359

Everywhere elseother towns and states

30%18,772

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

How far

How far Midland commutes

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

63%

16%

19%

63%Under 10 mi

16%10–24 mi

2%25–50 mi

19%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Midland is balanced between jobs and homes

1.22jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.22 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Midland are

75,311 jobs are based in Midland. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Midland’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Midland

75,311 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)31%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)52%

$1,250 a month or less12%

$1,251–$3,333 a month22%

Over $3,333 a month66%

Jobs Midland residents hold

61,618 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)30%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)49%

$1,250 a month or less11%

$1,251–$3,333 a month21%

Over $3,333 a month68%

+16%

Jobs based in Midland, 2013 → 2023: 64,770 → 75,311. 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.