Watkins has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
0% of workers work from home, where Iowa as a whole has 11%. Employers in Watkins report 15 jobs; 54 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Watkins; the top destination outside it is Cedar Rapids (30%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in Watkins: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 54 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 15 people come in from elsewhere.
About 160 people are in Watkins on a workday afternoon, 19% 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 Watkins to work: where people go
Where Watkins clocks in
30% 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.
Goods jobs make up 53% of work in Watkins
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Watkins, 2013 → 2023: 9 → 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 Watkins’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Working from home in Watkins
of Watkins workers work from home, vs 11% across Iowa. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 90 commuters (the 0% 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 it is to work from Watkins
About 15% 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.
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 Watkins: questions
What is the median household income in Watkins?
$96,296 (±$7,974) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Watkins?
0.0%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Watkins work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cedar Rapids (30%, 16 mi), Iowa City (7%, 29 mi), Blairstown (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Watkins without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Watkins, from the people who make the trip.
More of Watkins
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.