Work & commute · Galax

Work & commute in Galax, VA

About one in 3 of Galax’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Hillsville (5%), Independence (3%) and Wytheville (3%). Half commute less than 13 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

33%

786 of 2,369 working residents

Typical commute

13 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

23 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 1,583 Galax residents head out of town to work, 786 work right here, and 4,605 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Galax.

1,583live here, work elsewhere

786live and work here

4,605work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Galax goes to work

Galax (in town)right here

33%786

Hillsville11.9 mi away

5%122

Independence13.3 mi away

3%81

Wytheville22.1 mi away

3%67

Roanoke67.7 mi away

2%38

Christiansburg43.2 mi away

1%33

Blacksburg47.5 mi away

1%25

Mount Airy, NC19.9 mi away

1%23

Woodlawn7.7 mi away

1%23

Pulaski28 mi away

1%21

Everywhere elseother towns and states

49%1,150

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

How far

How far Galax commutes

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

42%

20%

12%

26%

42%Under 10 mi

20%10–24 mi

12%25–50 mi

26%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Galax is a job hub

2.28jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.3 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Galax are

5,391 jobs are based in Galax. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Galax’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Galax

5,391 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)25%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)56%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month48%

Over $3,333 a month36%

Jobs Galax residents hold

2,369 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)23%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)57%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month42%

Over $3,333 a month42%

−7%

Jobs based in Galax, 2013 → 2023: 5,798 → 5,391. 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.