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Jobs & commute in Penalosa

With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Penalosa works elsewhere

60.0% of residents live below the poverty line, against 11.3% across Kansas. 2 jobs are based in Penalosa, and 10 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any stay in Penalosa for work; outside it, Wichita is the main destination (20%, 53 miles).

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

The daily commute in and out of Penalosa

On a workday 10 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 2 people come in from elsewhere.

10live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
2work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night17
Workday9
17live here− 10head out to work+ 2come in to work= 9on a workday

About 9 people are in Penalosa on a workday afternoon, 47% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.20jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

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 commute map

The places Penalosa commutes to

PenalosaTuron: 1 residents work here (10%)NortonCheneyLarned: 1 residents work here (10%)Kingman: 1 residents work here (10%)Pratt: 1 residents work here (10%)McPherson: 1 residents work here (10%)Hutchinson: 1 residents work here (10%)Wichita: 2 residents work here (20%)Topeka: 2 residents work here (20%)WichitaTopekaTuronLarnedKingmanPrattPenalosa
1
Wichita53.2 mi away
20%2
2
Topeka168.8 mi away
20%2
3
Turon8.6 mi away
10%1
4
Larned53.4 mi away
10%1
5
Kingman12.1 mi away
10%1
6
Pratt24.4 mi away
10%1
7
McPherson57.6 mi away
10%1
8
Hutchinson32.9 mi away
10%1
The top trips

Where Penalosa clocks in

Lines 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 jobs

Penalosa works in goods: 100% of its jobs

Jobs based in PenalosaJobs Penalosa residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms100%10%
Trade, transport & utilities0%40%
Services: health, schools, offices0%50%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less0%30%
$1,251–$3,333 a month0%0%
Over $3,333 a month100%70%

Who does it

29 or younger0%10%
30 to 5450%50%
55 and older50%40%
−89%

Jobs based in Penalosa, 2014 → 2024: 19 → 2. 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 Penalosa’s own residents hold wherever they work.

How far

The distance from Penalosa to work

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miWichita: 20% · 53.2 miTopeka: 20% · 168.8 miTuron: 10% · 8.6 miLarned: 10% · 53.4 miKingman: 10% · 12.1 miPratt: 10% · 24.4 miMcPherson: 10% · 57.6 miHutchinson: 10% · 32.9 miWichita 20%Topeka 20%Turon 10%Larned 10%Kingman 10%Penalosa
PenalosaTop destinations (size = commuters)
10%Under 10 mi1 residents
20%10–24 mi2 residents
10%25–50 mi1 residents
60%Over 50 mi6 residents

About 60% 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.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Penalosa: questions

What is the poverty rate in Penalosa?

60.0%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

Where do people who live in Penalosa work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wichita (20%, 53 mi), Topeka (20%, 169 mi), Turon (10%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Penalosa, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Penalosa

Penalosa home →

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.