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Work & commute · Odessa

Work & commute in Odessa, TX

43% of Odessa’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Midland (17%), West Odessa (3%) and Lubbock (2%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times
Work in town
43%
22,130 of 51,923 working residents
Typical commute
7 mi
Half commute less than this, straight-line
Average commute time
22 min
One way, from the Census survey
Work from home
3%
of workers, from the Census survey
Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 29,793 Odessa residents head out of town to work, 22,130 work right here, and 30,799 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Odessa.

29,793live here, work elsewhere
22,130live and work here
30,799work here, live elsewhere
Leave for workStayCome in
The map

Where Odessa goes to work

AndrewsBig SpringMonahansTown of PecosEl PasoAustinDallasSan AntonioMidlandHoustonSan AngeloOdessaLubbockGardendaleWest OdessaMidlandWest OdessaLubbockHoustonSan AntonioDallasAustinSan AngeloEl PasoOdessa
1
Odessa (in town)right here
43%22,130
2
Midland16.8 mi away
17%8,804
3
West Odessa9.5 mi away
3%1,626
4
Lubbock119.2 mi away
2%1,033
5
Houston437.2 mi away
2%886
6
San Antonio281.8 mi away
1%375
7
Dallas331.7 mi away
1%335
8
Austin292.8 mi away
1%324
9
San Angelo115.5 mi away
1%284
10
El Paso239.8 mi away
1%271
Everywhere elseother towns and states
31%15,855

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

How far

How far Odessa commutes

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

56%Under 10 mi
22%10–24 mi
3%25–50 mi
19%Over 50 mi
Job hub or commuter town?

Odessa is balanced between jobs and homes

1.02jobs per working resident
Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.02 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Odessa are

52,929 jobs are based in Odessa. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Odessa’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Odessa

52,929 jobs
Goods (factories, building, farms)20%
Trade, transport & utilities27%
Services (health, schools, offices…)53%
$1,250 a month or less14%
$1,251–$3,333 a month28%
Over $3,333 a month59%

Jobs Odessa residents hold

51,923 working residents
Goods (factories, building, farms)28%
Trade, transport & utilities24%
Services (health, schools, offices…)48%
$1,250 a month or less12%
$1,251–$3,333 a month24%
Over $3,333 a month64%
+6%

Jobs based in Odessa, 2013 → 2023: 50,017 → 52,929. 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.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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