Work means Fort Smith for about half of Central City’s working residents
Working residents average 18 minutes each way, where Arkansas has 23 and the U.S. 26. Hardly any work in Central City; the top destination outside it is Fort Smith (46%, 8 miles). There are 30 jobs in Central City; 166 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Central City on a workday afternoon
On a workday 166 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 30 people come in from elsewhere.
About 330 people are in Central City on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.18 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Central City: the destinations
Where Central City clocks in
46% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Central City makes things: 70% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Central City, 2013 → 2023: 8 → 30. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Central City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Central City: about 18 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Central City workers work from home, vs 9% across Arkansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 313 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Arkansas: 87% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Central City’s commute, mile by mile
About 24% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Work in the towns next to Central City
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Central City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central City | – | — | — | 18 min | $69,583 |
| Barling | under 2% | B− | C | 18 min | $54,387 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Central City’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Central City: questions
What is the median household income in Central City?
$69,583 (±$18,423) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,773 across Arkansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Central City?
11.1%, against 16.0% across Arkansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Central City?
18 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Arkansas and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Central City work?
0% work in town.
Can you get around Central City without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Central City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Central City
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.