Photo: Erinmcd · CC BY 2.5More people are out of work in Newton (6.1%) than in 75% of U.S. towns
The trip to work takes 21 minutes on average, where Kansas has 20 and the U.S. 26. Newton grades C+ for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. About one in three work in Newton itself; outside it, Wichita draws the most (22%, 24 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Newton and work: the main findings
The four measures behind Newton’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Newton is better than 43% of U.S. towns, #98 of 151 in Kansas. Job access by car holds Newton’s grade up (ahead of 65% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Newton could be anywhere from C to B+.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Newton
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.
Newton on a workday afternoon
On a workday 5,487 residents head out to work, 2,523 work right here, and 4,464 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 (0.87 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where people from Newton work
Where Newton clocks in
22% of workers
9% of workers
4% 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.
The kinds of work in Newton
6,987 jobs are based in Newton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Newton, 2013 → 2023: 7,125 → 6,987. 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 Newton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Newton: about 21 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Newton workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,607 commuters (the 8% 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.
Driving is how Newton gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Newton is more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns, #103 of 151 in Kansas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.5% 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 9,321 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). 6.6% of Newton households have no vehicle (Kansas 5.1%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Newton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 1,915 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000, Newton comes 1,334th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 237 | Prairie Village KS | 23,008 | $114K | 5.7% | 3.0% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 325 | Andover KS | 17,370 | $105K | 4.6% | 2.7% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 395 | Bruno Township KS | 19,221 | $103K | 5.3% | 2.8% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,332 | Duchouquet Township OH | 14,357 | $69K | 11.6% | 4.3% | 20% | C+ |
| 1,333 | East Ridge TN | 21,921 | $62K | 13.1% | 5.3% | 5% | C+ |
| 1,334 | Newton KS | 18,353 | $69K | 9.7% | 6.1% | 31% | C+ |
| 1,335 | Aberdeen MD | 18,374 | $75K | 14.3% | 5.7% | 9% | C+ |
| 1,336 | South Sioux City NE | 14,158 | $68K | 12.2% | 5.0% | 17% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Newton, the top three, the last and three more from Kansas.
Around Newton: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to North Newton (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Newton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | – | C+ | C+ | 21 min | $68,885 |
| Newton Township | under 2% | B+ | A− | 17 min | $90,313 |
| Macon Township | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Darlington Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| North Newton | 4% | B | A− | 17 min | $87,402 |
| Sedgwick Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Macon Township and Darlington Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Sedgwick Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Newton’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 Newton: questions
What is the median household income in Newton?
$68,885 (±$5,064) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Newton?
9.7%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Newton?
21 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Kansas and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Newton work?
31% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wichita (22%, 24 mi), Hesston (9%, 8 mi), North Newton (4%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Newton walkable?
Newton is more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Newton without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Newton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Newton
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. 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.