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Jobs & commute in Kent

For about half of its working residents, Kent is a commute to Creston

No jobs are based in Kent in the Census job records; 10 of its residents work elsewhere. Hardly any work in Kent itself; outside it, Creston draws the most (50%, 9 miles).

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

0 jobs based here
Work in town
0%
0 of 10 working residents
Day and night

Who works in Kent, and who works elsewhere

On a workday 10 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.

10live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
0work here, live elsewhere
Job hub or commuter town?
0.00jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

0.00 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.

The commute map

Out of Kent to work: where people go

Winterset: 1 residents work here (10%)Creston: 5 residents work here (50%)Ames: 1 residents work here (10%)Ankeny: 1 residents work here (10%)West Des Moines: 1 residents work here (10%)KentCrestonWintersetAmesAnkenyWest Des MoinesKent
1
Creston8.9 mi away
50%5
2
Winterset35.7 mi away
10%1
3
Ames85.9 mi away
10%1
4
Ankeny69.8 mi away
10%1
5
West Des Moines54.3 mi away
10%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
10%1
The top trips

Where Kent clocks in

50% of workers
8.9 mi awayCreston5 Kent residents work here · Jobs & commute →
10% of workers
35.7 mi awayWinterset1 Kent residents work here · Jobs & commute →
10% of workers
85.9 mi awayAmes1 Kent residents work here · Jobs & commute →

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.

How far

How far it is to work from Kent

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miCreston: 50% · 8.9 miWinterset: 10% · 35.7 miAmes: 10% · 85.9 miAnkeny: 10% · 69.8 miWest Des Moines: 10% · 54.3 miCreston 50%Winterset 10%Ames 10%Ankeny 10%West Des Moines 10%Kent
KentTop destinations (size = commuters)
60%Under 10 mi6 residents
0%10–24 mi0 residents
10%25–50 mi1 residents
30%Over 50 mi3 residents

About 30% 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 Kent: questions

Where do people who live in Kent work?

0% work in town.

Commuter talk

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

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Kent

Kent home →
HandbookGetting around KentRoads, buses, parking and the basics
shortest commutes
RankingsTop towns in IAShortest commutes, work from home & more

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.