Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0At 11.5%, unemployment in Walsenburg is higher than in 97% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are lower than in 86% of U.S. towns. The two grades for Walsenburg are D− for jobs and income and C for walkability. About one in four stay in Walsenburg for work; outside it, Pueblo is the main destination (10%, 45 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Walsenburg stands out on work
Walsenburg’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Walsenburg is Pueblo, 45 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (102) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from Walsenburg are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 25 across Colorado. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical Colorado worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
36% 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 ↓
Fewer than half of Walsenburg workers earn over $40,000 a year
43% of Walsenburg’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 18% earn $1,250 a month or less. 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.
The four measures behind Walsenburg’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Walsenburg is near the bottom of U.S. towns, #158 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Walsenburg’s grade.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Walsenburg could be anywhere from D− to C.
Near or far: the trip to work from Walsenburg
About 36% 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.
About 16 minutes to work from Walsenburg
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Walsenburg workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 919 commuters (the 18% 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.
Jobs in Walsenburg: what the 639 are
639 jobs are based in Walsenburg.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Walsenburg, 2013 → 2023: 588 → 639. 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 Walsenburg’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Walsenburg on a workday
On a workday 780 residents head out to work, 280 work right here, and 359 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in Walsenburg on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.60 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 Walsenburg goes to work
Where Walsenburg clocks in
10% of workers
6% 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.
Getting around Walsenburg: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Walsenburg is more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns, #147 of 159 in Colorado. Both inputs place Walsenburg 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 1,127 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.5% of Walsenburg households have no vehicle (Colorado 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Walsenburg’s commuters take a bus or train.
Walsenburg and other U.S. towns of 2,100 to 4,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Stepping Stone CO | 3,137 | $224K | 0.0% | 2.5% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Sierra Ridge CO | 3,663 | $158K | 0.1% | 2.4% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 72 | Genesee CO | 3,778 | $187K | 2.4% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,693 | Willcox AZ | 3,189 | $44K | 19.3% | 13.0% | 28% | D− |
| 4,694 | Las Animas CO | 2,325 | $52K | 35.7% | 9.2% | 19% | D− |
| 4,695 | Walsenburg CO | 3,039 | $51K | 25.2% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
| 4,696 | Antlers OK | 2,186 | $36K | 26.2% | 8.6% | 32% | D− |
| 4,697 | Mountain City TN | 2,490 | $39K | 34.1% | 6.6% | 25% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,771 | 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 Walsenburg, the top three, the last and three more from Colorado.
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 Walsenburg: questions
What is the median household income in Walsenburg?
$51,474 (±$18,685) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Walsenburg?
25.2%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Walsenburg?
16 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Walsenburg work?
26% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pueblo (10%, 45 mi), Colorado Springs (6%, 86 mi), Trinidad (6%, 35 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Walsenburg walkable?
Walsenburg is more walkable than 27% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Walsenburg without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Walsenburg, from the people who make the trip.
More of Walsenburg
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.