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Earling iowa main streetPhoto: Sultec · Public domain
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Jobs & commute in Earling

Earling has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each

The trip to work takes 19 minutes on average, where Iowa has 20 and the U.S. 26. 34 jobs are based in Earling; 142 of its residents have a job. Only 1% work in Earling itself; outside it, Harlan draws the most (23%, 10 miles).

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

Day and night

In and out of Earling on a workday

On a workday 140 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 32 people come in from elsewhere.

140live here, work elsewhere
2live and work here
32work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night390
Workday280
390live here− 140head out to work+ 32come in to work= 280on a workday

About 280 people are in Earling on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.24jobs 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

Where Earling goes to work

Grand JunctionPanama: 5 residents work here (4%)PortsmouthPersiaBattle CreekEarlingNeolaWoodbine: 2 residents work here (1%)Shelby: 15 residents work here (11%)Avoca: 2 residents work here (1%)Harlan: 33 residents work here (23%)Creston: 2 residents work here (1%)Denison: 3 residents work here (2%)Council Bluffs: 19 residents work here (13%)Des MoinesOmaha: 12 residents work here (8%)HarlanCouncil BluffsShelbyOmahaPanamaDenisonEarling
1
Harlan10 mi away
23%33
2
Council Bluffs43.6 mi away
13%19
3
Shelby18.8 mi away
11%15
4
Omaha, NE48.3 mi away
8%12
5
Panama4.5 mi away
4%5
6
Denison16.9 mi away
2%3
7
Earling (in town)right here
1%2
8
Woodbine15.3 mi away
1%2
9
Avoca20.7 mi away
1%2
10
Creston73.7 mi away
1%2
Everywhere elseother towns and states
33%47
The top trips

Where Earling 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

Jobs in Earling: what the 34 are

Jobs based in EarlingJobs Earling residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms26%11%
Trade, transport & utilities6%25%
Services: health, schools, offices68%64%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less41%17%
$1,251–$3,333 a month24%30%
Over $3,333 a month35%53%

Who does it

29 or younger26%25%
30 to 5435%57%
55 and older38%18%
−58%

Jobs based in Earling, 2013 → 2023: 80 → 34. 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 Earling’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

From Earling, about 19 minutes to the job

A year of commuting
147 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Earling19 min
Iowa20 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
12%

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

About 1 in 10
How Earling gets to work
95%Drive alone
2%Carpool
1%Walk
2%Other

Share of the 173 commuters (the 12% 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

How far it is to work from Earling

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miHarlan: 23% · 10 miCouncil Bluffs: 13% · 43.6 miShelby: 11% · 18.8 miOmaha: 8% · 48.3 miPanama: 4% · 4.5 miDenison: 2% · 16.9 miWoodbine: 1% · 15.3 miAvoca: 1% · 20.7 miCreston: 1% · 73.7 miHarlan 23%Council Bluffs 13%Shelby 11%Omaha 8%Panama 4%Earling
EarlingTop destinations (size = commuters)
22%Under 10 mi31 residents
32%10–24 mi44 residents
25%25–50 mi35 residents
20%Over 50 mi28 residents

About 20% 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 Earling: questions

What is the median household income in Earling?

$43,750 (±$13,158) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Earling?

9.3%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Earling?

19 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Earling work?

1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Harlan (23%, 10 mi), Council Bluffs (13%, 44 mi), Shelby (11%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Earling without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Earling, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Earling

Earling 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.