WCF & N Center Point Depot and Substation · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Fewer people are out of work in Center Point (1.0%) than in 94% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in Center Point itself; outside it, Cedar Rapids draws the most (45%, 16 miles). Center Point grades A for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Working from home is the commute for 19% of workers; Iowa has 11%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Center Point
Nearly half of Center Point works in Cedar Rapids
576 working residents, 45%, have their main job in Cedar Rapids, 16 miles away. That’s 6 times as many as work in Center Point itself. The commute map ↓
Center Point workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 27 minutes each way, against 20 across Iowa. Over a year that’s about 207 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A lot of Center Point works from home
19% of Center Point workers work from home, against 11% across Iowa. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Center Point’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Center Point is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #13 of 140 in Iowa. Unemployment is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 60% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Center Point could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Where the trip to work from Center Point ends
Where Center Point clocks in
45% of workers
6% 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.
The daily trip from Center Point: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Center Point workers work from home, vs 11% across Iowa. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,095 commuters (the 19% 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.
The workday shuffle in and out of Center Point
On a workday 1,182 residents head out to work, 89 work right here, and 673 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,100 people are in Center Point on a workday afternoon, 20% 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.
What the 762 jobs in Center Point are
762 jobs are based in Center Point.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Center Point, 2013 → 2023: 593 → 762. 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 Center Point’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Center Point’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Getting around Center Point: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Center Point is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns, #106 of 140 in Iowa. Both inputs place Center Point 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 1,346 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.8% of Center Point households have no vehicle (Iowa 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Center Point’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Center Point is 442nd of 5,083 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 140 | Solon IA | 3,345 | $113K | 3.2% | 0.9% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 143 | Van Meter IA | 1,978 | $135K | 2.6% | 1.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 178 | Ely IA | 2,366 | $106K | 2.4% | 1.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 440 | Rose Hills CA | 2,314 | $123K | 7.7% | 3.8% | <1% | A |
| 441 | Wheeler AFB HI | 2,097 | $92K | 1.3% | 4.9% | 2% | A |
| 442 | Center Point IA | 2,572 | $95K | 5.1% | 1.0% | 7% | A |
| 443 | Salado TX | 2,565 | $108K | 4.3% | 2.0% | 4% | A |
| 444 | Ellington Township IL | 2,719 | $106K | 5.4% | 0.2% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,083 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Center Point, the top three, the last and three more from Iowa.
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 Center Point: questions
What is the median household income in Center Point?
$95,192 (±$18,909) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Center Point?
5.1%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Center Point?
27 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Center Point work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cedar Rapids (45%, 16 mi), Hiawatha (6%, 10 mi), Marion (5%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Center Point walkable?
Center Point is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.5 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Center Point without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Center Point, from the people who make the trip.
More of Center Point
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.