Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0At 8.1%, unemployment in Macon-Bibb County is higher than in 88% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Macon-Bibb County are D for jobs and income and B for walkability. Measured by household income, Macon-Bibb County is behind 86% of U.S. towns. More than half work in Macon-Bibb County itself; outside it, Warner Robins draws the most (5%, 15 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Macon-Bibb County stands out on work
Commutes from Macon-Bibb County are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 28 across Georgia. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Georgia worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% 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 ↓
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 Macon-Bibb County’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Macon-Bibb County is better than 14% of U.S. towns, #206 of 263 in Georgia. Job access by car holds Macon-Bibb County’s grade up (ahead of 61% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (24.7%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Macon-Bibb County could be anywhere from D to C−.
Commuting from Macon-Bibb County: about 22 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Macon-Bibb County workers work from home, vs 16% across Georgia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 56,413 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Georgia: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Macon-Bibb County goes to work
About 30% 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.
Who leaves Macon-Bibb County for work, and who comes in
On a workday 25,785 residents head out to work, 28,822 work right here, and 45,735 people come in from elsewhere.
About 178,000 people are in Macon-Bibb County on a workday afternoon, 13% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.37 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.
The places Macon-Bibb County commutes to
Where Macon-Bibb County clocks in
5% of workers
3% of workers
1% 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.
Inside Macon-Bibb County’s 74,557 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Macon-Bibb County, 2013 → 2023: 77,423 → 74,557. 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 Macon-Bibb County’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Most trips from Macon-Bibb County start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Macon-Bibb County is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns, #112 of 263 in Georgia. Both inputs place Macon-Bibb County 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 62,314 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). 11.3% of Macon-Bibb County households have no vehicle (Georgia 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Macon-Bibb County’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
How Macon-Bibb County compares with U.S. towns of 110,000 to 213,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pearland TX | 129,930 | $119K | 4.1% | 3.3% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Smithtown NY | 116,847 | $153K | 4.2% | 3.9% | 16% | A |
| 3 | Berkeley CA | 121,911 | $108K | 17.3% | 5.6% | 21% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 98 | South Fulton GA | 112,820 | $82K | 9.1% | 7.2% | 5% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 151 | Athens GA | 129,921 | $54K | 26.0% | 5.2% | 46% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 192 | Columbus GA | 202,171 | $58K | 19.0% | 6.3% | 59% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 214 | Shreveport LA | 175,902 | $49K | 23.5% | 9.0% | 61% | C− |
| 215 | Jackson MS | 141,196 | $42K | 27.9% | 9.3% | 45% | C− |
| 216 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | 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 Macon-Bibb County, the top three, the last and three more from Georgia.
Next door to Macon-Bibb County
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Macon-Bibb County workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macon-Bibb County | – | D | B | 22 min | $51,234 |
| Warner Robins | 5% | C | C+ | 22 min | $66,970 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Warner Robins. Darker towns draw more of Macon-Bibb County’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 Macon-Bibb County: questions
What is the median household income in Macon-Bibb County?
$51,234 (±$2,220) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,353 across Georgia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Macon-Bibb County?
24.7%, against 13.4% across Georgia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Macon-Bibb County?
22 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Georgia and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Macon-Bibb County work?
53% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Warner Robins (5%, 15 mi), Atlanta (3%, 78 mi), Fort Valley (1%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Macon-Bibb County walkable?
Macon-Bibb County is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Macon-Bibb County without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Macon-Bibb County, from the people who make the trip.
More of Macon-Bibb County
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.