Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Work, pay and getting to work in Potlatch
Home is the office for 3% of workers (Idaho 13%). Only 8% work in Potlatch; the top destination outside it is Moscow (22%, 14 miles). The trip to work takes 28 minutes on average, where Idaho has 22 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Potlatch
Potlatch and Moscow trade workers both ways
Moscow is the top workplace for Potlatch residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Potlatch come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A lot of Potlatch workers cross into Washington
20% of Potlatch workers work outside Idaho, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Pullman (20%), Spokane Valley (1%) and Colfax (1%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Potlatch workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 22 across Idaho. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 46 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 302 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The places Potlatch commutes to
Where Potlatch clocks in
7% 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.
From Potlatch, about 28 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Potlatch workers work from home, vs 13% across Idaho. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 405 commuters (the 3% who work from home are left out). Across Idaho: 84% 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 daily flow of workers through Potlatch
On a workday 278 residents head out to work, 24 work right here, and 159 people come in from elsewhere.
About 680 people are in Potlatch on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.61 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.
Jobs in Potlatch: what the 183 are
183 jobs are based in Potlatch.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Potlatch, 2013 → 2023: 135 → 183. 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 Potlatch’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Potlatch’s commute, mile by mile
About 16% 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.
Around Potlatch: the bordering towns
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Potlatch workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potlatch | – | — | — | 28 min | $76,607 |
| Onaway | under 1% | — | — | 33 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Onaway: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Potlatch’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
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 Potlatch: questions
What is the median household income in Potlatch?
$76,607 (±$19,178) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,800 across Idaho and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Potlatch?
9.4%, against 10.6% across Idaho and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Potlatch?
28 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Idaho and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Potlatch work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Moscow (22%, 14 mi), Pullman (20%, 18 mi), Lewiston (7%, 37 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Potlatch 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 Potlatch, from the people who make the trip.
More of Potlatch
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.