Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Howard works elsewhere
Only 2% work in Howard; the top destination outside it is Salida (18%, 12 miles). Employers in Howard report 31 jobs for 328 working residents. 15% of workers have no commute at all, next to 21% for Colorado as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Howard apart
Howard is a place people come home to
There are 31 jobs based in Howard, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Howard has about 670 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
50% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Howard workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 25 across Colorado. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 84 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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 328 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Howard on a workday
On a workday 322 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 25 people come in from elsewhere.
About 670 people are in Howard on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How far Howard goes to work
About 50% 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.
The trip to work from Howard: about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Howard workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 354 commuters (the 15% 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.
The places Howard commutes to
Where Howard clocks in
18% of workers
8% 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.
In Howard, 65% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Howard, 2013 → 2023: 26 → 31. 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 Howard’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Howard
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Howard workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard | – | — | — | 36 min | $60,386 |
| Coaldale | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Coaldale: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Howard’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 Howard: questions
What is the median household income in Howard?
$60,386 (±$7,319) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Howard?
0.0%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Howard?
36 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Howard work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Salida (18%, 12 mi), Cañon City (8%, 34 mi), Colorado Springs (5%, 66 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Howard 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 Howard, from the people who make the trip.
More of Howard
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.