Where Smith Township earns its living
About one in seven work in Smith Township itself; outside it, Colby draws the most (26%, 15 miles). The average commute takes 29 minutes each way, next to 20 for Kansas and 26 for the U.S. Smith Township has 168 jobs for 113 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The workday shuffle in and out of Smith Township
On a workday 99 residents head out to work, 14 work right here, and 154 people come in from elsewhere.
About 290 people are in Smith Township on a workday afternoon, 24% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.49 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 Smith Township goes to work
Where Smith Township clocks in
26% 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.
Smith Township works in goods: 82% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Smith Township, 2013 → 2023: 44 → 168. 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 Smith Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Smith Township: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Smith Township workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 114 commuters (the 10% 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.
How many miles Smith Township commutes
About 29% 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.
Smith Township and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Smith Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Township | – | — | — | 29 min | $85,288 |
| Lacey Township | under 2% | — | — | 16 min | — |
| Wendell Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Menlo Township | under 2% | — | — | 15 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lacey Township, Wendell Township and Menlo Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Smith Township’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 Smith Township: questions
What is the median household income in Smith Township?
$85,288 (±$12,632) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Smith Township?
7.1%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Smith Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Kansas and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Smith Township work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Colby (26%, 15 mi), Hays (5%, 86 mi), Oakley (4%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Smith Township without a car?
0% 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 Smith Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Smith Township
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.