Photo: Hustvedt · CC BY-SA 3.0Jobs, pay and the trip to work in Central
Commuters spend 12 minutes getting to work on average; Colorado averages 25, the U.S. 26. 486 jobs are based in Central, and 336 of its residents work somewhere. For 16% of workers, the job is at home, against 21% across Colorado.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Central apart on work
Commutes from Central are quick
The average trip to work takes 12 minutes, against 25 across Colorado. That’s about 100 hours a year less on the road than the typical Colorado worker. Time on the road ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Central than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Central fell from 862 in 2013 to 486 in 2023, −44%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Most jobs in Central pay over $40,000 a year
78% of the jobs based in Central pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
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; with 336 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Central’s commute takes about 12 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Central workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 255 commuters (the 16% who work from home are left out). Across Colorado: 82% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Central is a services town
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Central, 2013 → 2023: 862 → 486. 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’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in Central by day
On a workday 306 residents head out to work, 30 work right here, and 456 people come in from elsewhere.
About 960 people are in Central on a workday afternoon, 19% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.45 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
19% of working residents work in Black Hawk
Where Central clocks in
11% of workers
7% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Central
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.
Next door is work for 19% of Central
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Central workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central | – | — | — | 12 min | $61,622 |
| Black Hawk | 19% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Idaho Springs | under 3% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $89,436 |
Same-state neighbors only. Black Hawk: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Black Hawk. Darker towns draw more of Central’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: questions
What is the median household income in Central?
$61,622 (±$30,650) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Central?
6.1%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Central?
12 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Central work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Black Hawk (19%, 1 mi), Denver (11%, 33 mi), Boulder (7%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Central without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Central, from the people who make the trip.
More of Central
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.