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HarveyIowaSchoolPhoto: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Jobs & commute in Harvey

Most of Harvey commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident

Employers in Harvey report 8 jobs, and 122 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any stay in Harvey for work; outside it, Pella is the main destination (13%, 6 miles). 1% of workers have no commute at all, next to 11% for Iowa as a whole.

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

Day and night

The daily flow of workers through Harvey

On a workday 122 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 8 people come in from elsewhere.

122live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
8work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night250
Workday130
250live here− 120head out to work+ 8come in to work= 130on a workday

About 130 people are in Harvey on a workday afternoon, 46% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.07jobs 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

The towns that employ Harvey’s residents

HarveyMelcher-Dallas: 2 residents work here (2%)Albia: 3 residents work here (2%)Knoxville: 13 residents work here (11%)Nevada: 2 residents work here (2%)Oskaloosa: 7 residents work here (6%)Pella: 16 residents work here (13%)Newton: 4 residents work here (3%)UrbandaleAnkeny: 3 residents work here (2%)Des Moines: 11 residents work here (9%)West Des Moines: 3 residents work here (2%)RavenwoodPellaKnoxvilleDes MoinesOskaloosaNewtonAlbiaHarvey
1
Pella6 mi away
13%16
2
Knoxville9.3 mi away
11%13
3
Des Moines39.7 mi away
9%11
4
Oskaloosa14.7 mi away
6%7
5
Newton26.8 mi away
3%4
6
Albia21.1 mi away
2%3
7
Ankeny45.2 mi away
2%3
8
West Des Moines47.3 mi away
2%3
9
Melcher-Dallas17.7 mi away
2%2
10
Nevada56 mi away
2%2
Everywhere elseother towns and states
48%58
The top trips

Where Harvey 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

Goods, not services: 63% of the jobs in Harvey

Jobs based in HarveyJobs Harvey residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms63%34%
Trade, transport & utilities0%18%
Services: health, schools, offices38%48%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less25%16%
$1,251–$3,333 a month13%22%
Over $3,333 a month63%62%

Who does it

29 or younger25%26%
30 to 5425%48%
55 and older50%26%
−47%

Jobs based in Harvey, 2013 → 2023: 15 → 8. 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 Harvey’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

Each way, about 21 minutes from Harvey

A year of commuting
159 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Harvey21 min
Iowa20 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
1%

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

About 0 in 10
How Harvey gets to work
97%Drive alone
1%Carpool
1%Walk

Share of the 72 commuters (the 1% 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

Where in the region Harvey works

10 mi25 mi50 mi65 miPella: 13% · 6 miKnoxville: 11% · 9.3 miDes Moines: 9% · 39.7 miOskaloosa: 6% · 14.7 miNewton: 3% · 26.8 miAlbia: 2% · 21.1 miAnkeny: 2% · 45.2 miWest Des Moines: 2% · 47.3 miMelcher-Dallas: 2% · 17.7 miNevada: 2% · 56 miPella 13%Knoxville 11%Des Moines 9%Oskaloosa 6%Newton 3%Harvey
HarveyTop destinations (size = commuters)
45%Under 10 mi55 residents
19%10–24 mi23 residents
25%25–50 mi30 residents
11%Over 50 mi14 residents

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 Harvey: questions

What is the median household income in Harvey?

$52,250 (±$5,887) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Harvey?

9.2%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Harvey?

21 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Harvey work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Pella (13%, 6 mi), Knoxville (11%, 9 mi), Des Moines (9%, 40 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

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

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Harvey

Harvey 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.