Work & commute · Universal

Work & commute in Universal, TX

Most working residents leave Universal for work: only 3% work in town. The top destinations are San Antonio (48%), Schertz (6%) and Live Oak (5%). Half commute less than 14 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

266 of 8,186 working residents

Typical commute

14 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

26 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 7,920 Universal residents head out of town to work, 266 work right here, and 4,390 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Universal.

7,920live here, work elsewhere

266live and work here

4,390work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Universal goes to work

San Antonio14.4 mi away

48%3,960

Schertz3.5 mi away

6%469

Live Oak2 mi away

5%400

Austin61.3 mi away

5%382

New Braunfels15.4 mi away

4%291

Universal City (in town)right here

3%266

Houston176 mi away

3%213

Selma2.4 mi away

2%189

Dallas241.8 mi away

1%96

Converse2.7 mi away

1%93

Everywhere elseother towns and states

22%1,827

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

How far

How far Universal commutes

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

35%

43%

19%

35%Under 10 mi

43%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

19%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Universal is a commuter town

0.57jobs per working resident

A commuter town

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Universal are

4,656 jobs are based in Universal. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Universal’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Universal

4,656 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities26%

Services (health, schools, offices…)62%

$1,250 a month or less20%

$1,251–$3,333 a month36%

Over $3,333 a month44%

Jobs Universal residents hold

8,186 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)13%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)66%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month58%

+5%

Jobs based in Universal, 2013 → 2023: 4,419 → 4,656. 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.