Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Gardner

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Gardner, ColoradoPhoto: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0
–Not graded–Not graded
Jobs & commute in Gardner

Most of Gardner commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident

Gardner has 3 jobs for 47 working residents. Hardly any work in Gardner; the top destination outside it is Pueblo (17%, 45 miles). 14.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 9.4% across Colorado.

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

Gardner on a workday afternoon

On a workday 47 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 3 people come in from elsewhere.

47live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
3work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night160
Workday120
160live here− 47head out to work+ 3come in to work= 120on a workday

About 120 people are in Gardner on a workday afternoon, 27% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.06jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.

The commute map

Where Gardner’s working residents head each day

Fowler: 1 residents work here (2%)La Veta: 2 residents work here (4%)Walsenburg: 3 residents work here (6%)Eaton: 1 residents work here (2%)Buena Vista: 1 residents work here (2%)Pagosa Springs: 1 residents work here (2%)Cherry Hills Village: 1 residents work here (2%)Trinidad: 2 residents work here (4%)Colorado Springs: 4 residents work here (9%)Pueblo: 8 residents work here (17%)GardnerPuebloColorado SpringsWalsenburgLa VetaTrinidadFowlerGardner
1
Pueblo44.8 mi away
17%8
2
Colorado Springs77.7 mi away
9%4
3
Walsenburg23.6 mi away
6%3
4
La Veta21.2 mi away
4%2
5
Trinidad56.4 mi away
4%2
6
Fowler66.4 mi away
2%1
7
Eaton190.6 mi away
2%1
8
Buena Vista89.3 mi away
2%1
9
Pagosa Springs107.1 mi away
2%1
102%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
49%23
The top trips

Where Gardner clocks in

Lines 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.

The jobs

Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Gardner

Jobs based in GardnerJobs Gardner residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms0%17%
Trade, transport & utilities0%17%
Services: health, schools, offices100%66%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less0%13%
$1,251–$3,333 a month67%28%
Over $3,333 a month33%60%

Who does it

29 or younger0%23%
30 to 540%49%
55 and older100%28%

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 Gardner’s own residents hold wherever they work.

How far

How far it is to work from Gardner

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miPueblo: 17% · 44.8 miColorado Springs: 9% · 77.7 miWalsenburg: 6% · 23.6 miLa Veta: 4% · 21.2 miTrinidad: 4% · 56.4 miFowler: 2% · 66.4 miEaton: 2% · 190.6 miBuena Vista: 2% · 89.3 miPagosa Springs: 2% · 107.1 miCherry Hills Village: 2% · 128.3 miPueblo 17%Colorado Springs 9%Walsenburg 6%La Veta 4%Trinidad 4%Gardner
GardnerTop destinations (size = commuters)
4%Under 10 mi2 residents
23%10–24 mi11 residents
21%25–50 mi10 residents
51%Over 50 mi24 residents

About 51% 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.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Gardner: questions

What is the poverty rate in Gardner?

14.2%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

Where do people who live in Gardner work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pueblo (17%, 45 mi), Colorado Springs (9%, 78 mi), Walsenburg (6%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Gardner, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Gardner

Gardner home →

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.