Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Lost Nation has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Employers in Lost Nation report 30 jobs, and 204 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any work in Lost Nation; the top destination outside it is Maquoketa (15%, 10 miles). The average commute takes 46 minutes each way, where Iowa has 20 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Lost Nation, in brief
Lost Nation workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 46 minutes each way, against 20 across Iowa. Over a year that’s about 353 hours of commuting, 199 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Lost Nation is a place people come home to
There are 30 jobs based in Lost Nation, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Lost Nation has about 250 people in it, 41% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 204 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Getting to work from Lost Nation takes about 46 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lost Nation workers work from home, vs 11% across Iowa. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 159 commuters (the 6% 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.
A workday in Lost Nation: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 203 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 29 people come in from elsewhere.
About 250 people are in Lost Nation on a workday afternoon, 41% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Out of Lost Nation to work: where people go
Where Lost Nation clocks in
15% of workers
9% of workers
8% of workersLines 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Lost Nation
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lost Nation, 2013 → 2023: 38 → 30. 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 Lost Nation’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Lost Nation to work
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.
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.
Jobs and commuting in Lost Nation: questions
What is the median household income in Lost Nation?
$57,000 (±$6,433) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lost Nation?
14.1%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lost Nation?
46 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lost Nation work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Maquoketa (15%, 10 mi), Davenport (9%, 30 mi), Dubuque (8%, 37 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lost Nation without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lost Nation, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lost Nation
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.