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Jobs & commute in Castalia

Castalia has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

The average commute takes 22 minutes each way, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. There are 3 jobs in Castalia, and 72 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any work in Castalia itself; outside it, Decorah draws the most (33%, 14 miles).

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

Day and night

The workday shuffle in and out of Castalia

On a workday 72 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 3 people come in from elsewhere.

72live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
3work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night140
Workday73
140live here− 72head out to work+ 3come in to work= 73on a workday

About 73 people are in Castalia on a workday afternoon, 49% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.04jobs 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

Out of Castalia to work: where people go

CastaliaFredericksburg: 1 residents work here (1%)Postville: 2 residents work here (3%)West Union: 2 residents work here (3%)Decorah: 24 residents work here (33%)Iowa City: 3 residents work here (4%)Council Bluffs: 2 residents work here (3%)Dubuque: 2 residents work here (3%)Cedar Rapids: 3 residents work here (4%)Des Moines: 3 residents work here (4%)Waterloo: 2 residents work here (3%)DecorahIowa CityCedar RapidsDes MoinesPostvilleWest UnionCastalia
1
Decorah14.1 mi away
33%24
2
Iowa City100.9 mi away
4%3
3
Cedar Rapids79.3 mi away
4%3
4
Des Moines145.1 mi away
4%3
5
Postville5.8 mi away
3%2
6
West Union12.6 mi away
3%2
7
Council Bluffs250 mi away
3%2
8
Dubuque64.9 mi away
3%2
9
Waterloo54.8 mi away
3%2
10
Fredericksburg28.1 mi away
1%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
39%28
The top trips

Where Castalia 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

Services make up most of the work in Castalia

Jobs based in CastaliaJobs Castalia residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms0%22%
Trade, transport & utilities0%21%
Services: health, schools, offices100%57%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less100%14%
$1,251–$3,333 a month0%21%
Over $3,333 a month0%65%

Who does it

29 or younger33%25%
30 to 540%46%
55 and older67%29%
+50%

Jobs based in Castalia, 2013 → 2023: 2 → 3. 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 Castalia’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

From Castalia, about 22 minutes to the job

A year of commuting
170 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Castalia22 min
Iowa20 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
9%

of Castalia workers work from home, vs 11% across Iowa. Their commute is the hallway.

About 1 in 10
How Castalia gets to work
99%Drive alone
1%Other

Share of the 70 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Iowa: 86% 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

Half of Castalia commutes less than 15 miles

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miDecorah: 33% · 14.1 miIowa City: 4% · 100.9 miCedar Rapids: 4% · 79.3 miDes Moines: 4% · 145.1 miPostville: 3% · 5.8 miWest Union: 3% · 12.6 miCouncil Bluffs: 3% · 250 miDubuque: 3% · 64.9 miWaterloo: 3% · 54.8 miFredericksburg: 1% · 28.1 miDecorah 33%Iowa City 4%Cedar Rapids 4%Des Moines 4%Postville 3%Castalia
CastaliaTop destinations (size = commuters)
8%Under 10 mi6 residents
51%10–24 mi37 residents
3%25–50 mi2 residents
38%Over 50 mi27 residents

About 38% 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 Castalia: questions

What is the median household income in Castalia?

$61,250 (±$30,410) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Castalia?

7.9%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Castalia?

22 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Castalia work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Decorah (33%, 14 mi), Iowa City (4%, 101 mi), Cedar Rapids (4%, 79 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Castalia 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 Castalia, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Castalia

Castalia 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.