Most of West Branch Township commutes out: there are 0.4 jobs for every working resident
There are 196 jobs in West Branch Township for 438 working residents. Jobs and income earn West Branch Township C; getting around on foot earns it C+. Only 5% work in West Branch Township itself; outside it, Wichita draws the most (16%, 36 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in West Branch Township, in brief
Income, poverty and work: West Branch Township’s grade explained
On income, poverty and job access, West Branch Township is better than 31% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds West Branch Township’s grade up (8.8%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 27% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (2.0%) is left out: West Branch Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, West Branch Township could be anywhere from C− to B−.
How far West Branch Township goes to work
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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
A workday in West Branch Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 414 residents head out to work, 24 work right here, and 172 people come in from elsewhere.
About 770 people are in West Branch Township on a workday afternoon, 24% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where West Branch Township’s working residents head each day
Where West Branch Township clocks in
16% of workers
13% of workers
8% 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 West Branch Township, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Branch Township, 2014 → 2024: 195 → 196. 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 West Branch Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 23 minutes from West Branch Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Branch Township workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 456 commuters (the 6% 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.
West Branch Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Branch Township is more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place West Branch Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 486 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). 2.9% of West Branch Township households have no vehicle (Kansas 5.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Branch Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, West Branch Township is 1,688th of 3,133 U.S. towns of 700 to 1,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Lake Quivira KS | 1,005 | $178K | 3.8% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 56 | Delaware Township KS | 1,121 | $119K | 2.4% | 0.0% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 75 | Payne Township KS | 1,375 | $104K | 1.8% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,686 | Peace Township MN | 1,005 | $67K | 6.6% | 6.2% | 2% | C |
| 1,687 | Sandy Lake Township PA | 1,187 | $61K | 9.2% | 2.2% | 7% | C |
| 1,688 | West Branch Township KS | 1,011 | $61K | 8.8% | 2.0% | 5% | C |
| 1,689 | Tiltonsville OH | 1,215 | $57K | 8.2% | 3.5% | 4% | C |
| 1,690 | Colfax WI | 1,193 | $62K | 12.3% | 9.4% | 3% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,133 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 1% | 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 West Branch Township, the top three, the last and three more from Kansas.
The towns around West Branch Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Branch Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch Township | – | C | C+ | 23 min | $61,250 |
| Highland Township | under 3% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| East Branch Township | under 3% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Meridian Township | under 3% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Highland Township, East Branch Township and Meridian Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Branch 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 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 West Branch Township: questions
What is the median household income in West Branch Township?
$61,250 (±$6,629) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Branch Township?
8.8%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Branch Township?
23 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Kansas and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Branch Township work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wichita (16%, 36 mi), Newton (13%, 12 mi), Hesston (8%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is West Branch Township walkable?
West Branch Township is more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Branch Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Branch Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Branch Township
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.