Photo: Gerald B. Keane · Public domainUnemployment in Dodge City (5.6%) is higher than in 69% of U.S. towns
A typical one-way commute lasts 12 minutes, next to 20 for Kansas and 26 for the U.S. 2% of workers have no commute at all, next to 12% for Kansas as a whole. About half stay in Dodge City for work; outside it, Dodge Township is the main destination (20%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Dodge City stands out on work
Most jobs in Dodge City go to people who live here
Of the 10,934 jobs based in Dodge City, 56% are held by Dodge City residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Dodge City are quick
The average trip to work takes 12 minutes, against 20 across Kansas. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Kansas worker. Time on the road ↓
Few Dodge City workers work from home
Only 2% of workers work from home, against 12% across Kansas. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How Dodge City earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Dodge City is better than 29% of U.S. towns, #122 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Dodge City’s grade.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Dodge City could be anywhere from C− to B−.
The workday shuffle in and out of Dodge City
On a workday 6,059 residents head out to work, 6,117 work right here, and 4,817 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.90 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The daily trip from Dodge City: about 12 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dodge City workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,983 commuters (the 2% who work from home are left out). Across Kansas: 85% 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 places Dodge City commutes to
Where Dodge City clocks in
20% of workers
3% of workers
2% 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.
In Dodge City, 29% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
10,934 jobs are based in Dodge City.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dodge City, 2014 → 2024: 14,059 → 10,934. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Dodge City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Dodge City
About 17% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most of Dodge City commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Dodge City is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns, #77 of 151 in Kansas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.4% across Kansas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,235 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.2% of Dodge City households have no vehicle (Kansas 5.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Dodge City’s commuters take a bus or train.
Dodge City is 1,281st of 1,509 U.S. towns of 19,000 to 37,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 170 | Prairie Village KS | 23,008 | $114K | 5.7% | 3.0% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 318 | Bruno Township KS | 19,221 | $103K | 5.3% | 2.8% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,279 | Forest Park GA | 19,168 | $41K | 20.3% | 5.7% | 6% | C |
| 1,280 | North Platte NE | 22,524 | $58K | 15.4% | 3.9% | 63% | C |
| 1,281 | Dodge City KS | 27,653 | $69K | 14.6% | 5.6% | 50% | C |
| 1,282 | Butte-Silver Bow MT | 36,118 | $62K | 14.8% | 4.1% | 62% | C |
| 1,283 | Fernley NV | 26,214 | $90K | 12.8% | 5.5% | 20% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,509 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 35% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Dodge City, the top three, the last and three more from Kansas.
22% of Dodge City works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dodge City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dodge City | – | C | B− | 12 min | $68,721 |
| Dodge Township | 20% | — | — | 11 min | — |
| Richland Township | 1% | — | — | 15 min | — |
| Grandview Township | 1% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Dodge Township: not graded. Richland Township and Grandview Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Dodge Township. Darker towns draw more of Dodge City’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 2024, 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 Dodge City: questions
What is the median household income in Dodge City?
$68,721 (±$7,051) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dodge City?
14.6%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dodge City?
12 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Kansas and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dodge City work?
50% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dodge Township (20%, 3 mi), Garden City (3%, 48 mi), Wichita (2%, 146 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Dodge City walkable?
Dodge City is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Dodge City without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dodge City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dodge City
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.