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Jobs & commute in Fenton

Fenton has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.1 for each

There are 15 jobs in Fenton; 121 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Fenton; the top destination outside it is Algona (19%, 14 miles). At home: 3% of workers have no commute at all (Iowa 11%).

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

Day and night

Who leaves Fenton for work, and who comes in

On a workday 121 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 15 people come in from elsewhere.

121live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
15work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night250
Workday140
250live here− 120head out to work+ 15come in to work= 140on a workday

About 140 people are in Fenton on a workday afternoon, 42% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.12jobs 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 people from Fenton work

Lone RockFentonBurt: 3 residents work here (2%)Bancroft: 19 residents work here (16%)Swea City: 4 residents work here (3%)West Bend: 3 residents work here (2%)Armstrong: 2 residents work here (2%)Buffalo Center: 2 residents work here (2%)Pocahontas: 2 residents work here (2%)Algona: 23 residents work here (19%)Fort Dodge: 2 residents work here (2%)Mason City: 3 residents work here (2%)FairmontDunbar TownshipAlgonaBancroftSwea CityBurtWest BendMason CityFenton
1
Algona13.9 mi away
19%23
2
Bancroft11.8 mi away
16%19
3
Swea City12.8 mi away
3%4
4
Burt10.5 mi away
2%3
5
West Bend17.9 mi away
2%3
6
Mason City62 mi away
2%3
7
Armstrong12.5 mi away
2%2
8
Buffalo Center27.1 mi away
2%2
9
Pocahontas35.4 mi away
2%2
10
Fort Dodge50.6 mi away
2%2
Everywhere elseother towns and states
48%58
The top trips

Where Fenton 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

What Fenton’s employers do

Jobs based in FentonJobs Fenton residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms0%26%
Trade, transport & utilities27%30%
Services: health, schools, offices73%44%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less20%20%
$1,251–$3,333 a month33%26%
Over $3,333 a month47%55%

Who does it

29 or younger0%18%
30 to 5467%53%
55 and older33%29%
−12%

Jobs based in Fenton, 2013 → 2023: 17 → 15. 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 Fenton’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

From Fenton, about 28 minutes to the job

A year of commuting
212 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Fenton28 min
Iowa20 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
3%

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

About 0 in 10
How Fenton gets to work
92%Drive alone
5%Carpool
2%Walk
1%Bike

Share of the 131 commuters (the 3% 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

The distance from Fenton to work

10 mi25 mi50 mi70 miAlgona: 19% · 13.9 miBancroft: 16% · 11.8 miSwea City: 3% · 12.8 miBurt: 2% · 10.5 miWest Bend: 2% · 17.9 miMason City: 2% · 62 miArmstrong: 2% · 12.5 miBuffalo Center: 2% · 27.1 miPocahontas: 2% · 35.4 miFort Dodge: 2% · 50.6 miAlgona 19%Bancroft 16%Swea City 3%Burt 2%West Bend 2%Fenton
FentonTop destinations (size = commuters)
8%Under 10 mi9 residents
58%10–24 mi70 residents
8%25–50 mi9 residents
27%Over 50 mi32 residents

About 27% 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 Fenton: questions

What is the median household income in Fenton?

$55,417 (±$9,398) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Fenton?

6.6%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Fenton?

28 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Fenton work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Algona (19%, 14 mi), Bancroft (16%, 12 mi), Swea City (3%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Fenton without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

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

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Fenton

Fenton 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.