Photo: Rgmccoy04 at English Wikipedia · Public domainJena has lower unemployment (1.6%) than 89% of U.S. towns
About one in four stay in Jena for work; outside it, Good Pine is the main destination (7%, 2 miles). Jobs and income earn Jena B−; getting around on foot earns it B−. The average commute takes 36 minutes each way, where Louisiana has 26 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Jena apart
Jena workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 26 across Louisiana. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 77 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Jena is where the jobs are
Jena has 1,915 jobs, 1.8 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
34% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How Jena earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Jena is better than 47% of U.S. towns, #44 of 161 in Louisiana. Unemployment holds Jena’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 16% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Jena could be anywhere from C− to B+.
The daily trip from Jena: about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jena workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,912 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 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.
The workday shuffle in and out of Jena
On a workday 799 residents head out to work, 282 work right here, and 1,633 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,100 people are in Jena on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
1.8 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How far Jena goes to work
About 34% 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.
Commuting in to Jena: where workers come from
Where Jena clocks in
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.
Inside Jena’s 1,915 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jena, 2013 → 2023: 1,456 → 1,915. 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 Jena’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Most trips from Jena start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Jena is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns, #83 of 161 in Louisiana. Both inputs place Jena 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 2,033 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). 2.1% of Jena households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Jena’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 3,000 to 5,700, Jena ranks 2,176th of 3,962 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 296 | Hahnville LA | 3,520 | $101K | 6.7% | 0.0% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 900 | Greenwood LA | 3,077 | $64K | 3.7% | 1.3% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,322 | Westlake LA | 4,763 | $68K | 12.1% | 0.0% | 4% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,174 | Farmersville TX | 5,531 | $81K | 9.1% | 16.5% | 7% | B− |
| 2,175 | Key Center WA | 3,544 | $106K | 7.7% | 6.2% | 3% | B− |
| 2,176 | Jena LA | 4,229 | $72K | 11.3% | 1.6% | 26% | B− |
| 2,177 | Cuba NY | 3,065 | $76K | 12.2% | 2.4% | 22% | B− |
| 2,178 | Westville IN | 5,387 | $61K | 11.4% | 3.7% | 4% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,962 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Jena, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
Work next door: 10% of Jena’s workers
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jena workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jena | – | B− | B− | 36 min | $71,730 |
| Midway | 3% | — | — | — | — |
| Good Pine | 7% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Midway and Good Pine: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Good Pine. Darker towns draw more of Jena’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 Jena: questions
What is the median household income in Jena?
$71,730 (±$24,533) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jena?
11.3%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jena?
36 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jena work?
26% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Good Pine (7%, 2 mi), Alexandria (5%, 34 mi), Midway (3%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Jena walkable?
Jena is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Jena without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Jena, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jena
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.