Photo: Hogs555 · CC BY-SA 3.0A job hub: Westcliffe has 2.3 jobs per working resident, and 384 people come in to work
About one in seven stay in Westcliffe for work; outside it, Colorado Springs is the main destination (7%, 63 miles). There are 406 jobs in Westcliffe, and 177 of its residents work somewhere. Working residents average 18 minutes each way, where Colorado has 25 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who leaves Westcliffe for work, and who comes in
On a workday 155 residents head out to work and 22 work right here.
About 720 people are in Westcliffe on a workday afternoon, 47% more 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.
The towns that send workers to Westcliffe
Where Westcliffe clocks in
7% of workers
7% 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.
The kinds of work in Westcliffe
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westcliffe, 2013 → 2023: 438 → 406. 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 Westcliffe’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Westcliffe’s commute takes about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westcliffe workers work from home, vs 21% across Colorado. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 165 commuters (the 23% 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.
Where in the region Westcliffe works
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.
Westcliffe and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Silver Cliff (3%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westcliffe workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westcliffe | – | — | — | 18 min | $53,929 |
| Silver Cliff | 3% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Silver Cliff: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Westcliffe’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 Westcliffe: questions
What is the median household income in Westcliffe?
$53,929 (±$26,597) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $95,470 across Colorado and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westcliffe?
6.6%, against 9.4% across Colorado and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westcliffe?
18 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Colorado and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westcliffe work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Colorado Springs (7%, 63 mi), Denver (7%, 117 mi), Pueblo (6%, 47 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Westcliffe without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westcliffe, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westcliffe
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.