With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of West Hale Township works elsewhere
Only 5% work in West Hale Township itself; outside it, Colby draws the most (30%, 16 miles). Employers in West Hale Township report 83 jobs for 148 working residents. A typical one-way commute lasts 15 minutes; Kansas averages 20, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in West Hale Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 141 residents head out to work, 7 work right here, and 76 people come in from elsewhere.
About 270 people are in West Hale Township on a workday afternoon, 19% 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.
The places West Hale Township commutes to
Where West Hale Township clocks in
30% of workers
5% 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 West Hale Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Hale Township, 2014 → 2024: 132 → 83. 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 Hale Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from West Hale Township: about 15 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Hale Township workers work from home, vs 12% across Kansas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 237 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from West Hale Township
About 27% 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.
Around West Hale Township: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Hale Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hale Township | – | — | — | 15 min | $65,000 |
| East Hale Township | under 4% | — | — | — | — |
| Kingery Township | under 4% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Llanos Township | under 4% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Barrett Township | under 4% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. East Hale Township, Kingery Township, Llanos Township and Barrett Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Hale 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 Hale Township: questions
What is the median household income in West Hale Township?
$65,000 (±$10,040) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,275 across Kansas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Hale Township?
10.3%, against 11.3% across Kansas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Hale Township?
15 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 Hale Township work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Colby (30%, 16 mi), Oakley (5%, 31 mi), Smith Township (5%, 30 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around West Hale Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Hale Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Hale 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.