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Jobs & commute in Gilman

Gilman has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out

Gilman has 72 jobs; 291 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Gilman; the top destination outside it is Marshalltown (34%, 12 miles). The average commute takes 28 minutes each way; Iowa averages 20, the U.S. 26.

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

What stands out · In brief

Jobs and commuting in Gilman: the gist

One in three of Gilman works in Marshalltown

98 working residents, 34%, have their main job in Marshalltown, 12 miles away. That’s far more as work in Gilman itself. The commute map ↓

Gilman is a place people come home to

There are 72 jobs based in Gilman, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Gilman has about 310 people in it, 42% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓

Gilman workers spend longer getting to work

The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 20 across Iowa. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. 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; with 291 working residents, small shifts move the shares.

★ What stands out · The commute map

Where the trip to work from Gilman ends

WarrenCrown PointLaurel: 5 residents work here (2%)FergusonClemonsGilmanLe Grand: 10 residents work here (3%)Grinnell: 20 residents work here (7%)OttumwaMarshalltown: 98 residents work here (34%)Cedar Falls: 6 residents work here (2%)Ames: 8 residents work here (3%)AnkenyCedar Rapids: 12 residents work here (4%)Des Moines: 17 residents work here (6%)West Des Moines: 7 residents work here (2%)Waterloo: 7 residents work here (2%)MarshalltownGrinnellDes MoinesCedar RapidsLe GrandAmesGilman
1
Marshalltown12.3 mi away
34%98
2
Grinnell10.4 mi away
7%20
3
Des Moines47.4 mi away
6%17
4
Cedar Rapids57.3 mi away
4%12
5
Le Grand8.9 mi away
3%10
6
Ames44 mi away
3%8
7
West Des Moines56 mi away
2%7
8
Waterloo47.9 mi away
2%7
9
Cedar Falls47.4 mi away
2%6
10
Laurel6.9 mi away
2%5
Everywhere elseother towns and states
35%101
The top trips

Where Gilman 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.

Day and night

In and out of Gilman on a workday

On a workday 290 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 71 people come in from elsewhere.

290live here, work elsewhere
1live and work here
71work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night530
Workday310
530live here− 290head out to work+ 71come in to work= 310on a workday

About 310 people are in Gilman on a workday afternoon, 42% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.25jobs 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.

Time on the road

About 28 minutes each way, longer than most of Iowa

A year of commuting
217 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Gilman28 min
Iowa20 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
7%

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

About 1 in 10
How Gilman gets to work
74%Drive alone
20%Carpool
4%Walk
1%Other

Share of the 292 commuters (the 7% 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 jobs

Mostly services: health care, schools and offices

Jobs based in GilmanJobs Gilman residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms7%22%
Trade, transport & utilities6%24%
Services: health, schools, offices88%54%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less19%17%
$1,251–$3,333 a month28%24%
Over $3,333 a month53%59%

Who does it

29 or younger18%23%
30 to 5442%47%
55 and older40%30%
−10%

Jobs based in Gilman, 2013 → 2023: 80 → 72. 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 Gilman’s own residents hold wherever they work.

How far

Close to home or a long way: work trips from Gilman

10 mi25 mi50 mi65 miMarshalltown: 34% · 12.3 miGrinnell: 7% · 10.4 miDes Moines: 6% · 47.4 miCedar Rapids: 4% · 57.3 miLe Grand: 3% · 8.9 miAmes: 3% · 44 miWest Des Moines: 2% · 56 miWaterloo: 2% · 47.9 miCedar Falls: 2% · 47.4 miLaurel: 2% · 6.9 miMarshalltown 34%Grinnell 7%Des Moines 6%Cedar Rapids 4%Le Grand 3%Gilman
GilmanTop destinations (size = commuters)
9%Under 10 mi25 residents
46%10–24 mi134 residents
23%25–50 mi66 residents
23%Over 50 mi66 residents

About 23% 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 Gilman: questions

What is the median household income in Gilman?

$101,136 (±$19,325) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Gilman?

8.8%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Gilman?

28 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Gilman work?

<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Marshalltown (34%, 12 mi), Grinnell (7%, 10 mi), Des Moines (6%, 47 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

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

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Gilman

Gilman 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.