Western Grove at work: jobs, income and the commute
Only 1% stay in Western Grove for work; outside it, Harrison is the main destination (26%, 13 miles). Working residents average 24 minutes each way, against 23 across Arkansas and 26 nationally. There are 58 jobs in Western Grove, against 99 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Western Grove
On a workday 98 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 57 people come in from elsewhere.
About 310 people are in Western Grove on a workday afternoon, 12% fewer than live here.
0.59 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.
Out of Western Grove to work: where people go
Where Western Grove clocks in
26% of workers
6% 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.
Most jobs in Western Grove are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Western Grove, 2013 → 2023: 114 → 58. 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 Western Grove’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Western Grove: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Western Grove workers work from home, vs 9% across Arkansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 160 commuters (the 13% 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.
Miles to work from Western Grove
About 38% 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.
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 Western Grove: questions
What is the median household income in Western Grove?
$38,365 (±$13,589) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,773 across Arkansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Western Grove?
28.8%, against 16.0% across Arkansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Western Grove?
24 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Arkansas and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Western Grove work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Harrison (26%, 13 mi), Jasper (6%, 14 mi), Mountain Home (5%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Western Grove without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Western Grove, from the people who make the trip.
More of Western Grove
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.