Arkansas Ordnance Plant Guard House · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0More people are out of work in Gibson (11.3%) than in 96% of U.S. towns
Hardly any work in Gibson; the top destination outside it is Little Rock (44%, 14 miles). Gibson grades C for jobs and income and D for walkability. Working residents average 25 minutes each way, where Arkansas has 23 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Gibson
Gibson is a place people come home to
There are 59 jobs based in Gibson, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Gibson has about 2,500 people in it, 41% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
44% of Gibson works in Little Rock
766 working residents, 44%, have their main job in Little Rock, 14 miles away. That’s 44 times as many as work in Gibson itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Income, poverty and work: Gibson’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Gibson is better than 35% of U.S. towns, #49 of 123 in Arkansas. Job access by car holds Gibson’s grade up (ahead of 72% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Gibson could be anywhere from C− to B.
The daily commute in and out of Gibson
On a workday 1,745 residents head out to work, 10 work right here, and 49 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,500 people are in Gibson on a workday afternoon, 41% fewer than live here.
0.03 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.
Where people from Gibson work
Where Gibson clocks in
44% of workers
17% 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.
Jobs in Gibson: what the 59 are
59 jobs are based in Gibson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gibson, 2013 → 2023: 61 → 59. 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 Gibson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 25 minutes each way for Gibson’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gibson workers work from home, vs 9% across Arkansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,586 commuters (the 7% 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.
Gibson’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Most of Gibson commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Gibson is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns, #119 of 123 in Arkansas. Both inputs place Gibson near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,708 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 47% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.2% of Gibson households have no vehicle (Arkansas 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Gibson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Gibson is 2,776th among 4,112 U.S. towns of 2,900 to 5,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 176 | Johnson AR | 3,684 | $96K | 2.2% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 217 | Austin AR | 4,017 | $114K | 1.6% | 1.9% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 411 | Highfill AR | 3,676 | $93K | 4.2% | 0.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,774 | Whitmore Township IL | 4,127 | $77K | 13.6% | 7.2% | 7% | C |
| 2,775 | Deer Creek Township IN | 4,651 | $62K | 8.6% | 6.2% | 18% | C |
| 2,776 | Gibson AR | 4,167 | $66K | 10.7% | 11.3% | 1% | C |
| 2,777 | Riverdale CA | 3,653 | $57K | 12.6% | 3.9% | 12% | C |
| 2,778 | East Camden SC | 4,194 | $54K | 20.5% | 2.5% | 3% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,112 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Gibson, the top three, the last and three more from Arkansas.
Bordering towns draw 25% of Gibson’s workers
The biggest share goes to North Little Rock (17%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gibson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson | – | C | D | 25 min | $66,496 |
| Sherwood | 8% | B+ | B− | 24 min | $81,328 |
| North Little Rock | 17% | C | B+ | 20 min | $52,707 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gibson’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 Gibson: questions
What is the median household income in Gibson?
$66,496 (±$11,659) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,773 across Arkansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gibson?
10.7%, against 16.0% across Arkansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gibson?
25 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Arkansas and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gibson work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Little Rock (44%, 14 mi), North Little Rock (17%, 8 mi), Sherwood (8%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Gibson walkable?
Gibson is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 4.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Gibson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gibson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gibson
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.