Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in West Monroe (9.6%) is higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
Jobs & income D: better than 14% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #115 of 161 in Louisiana.
Walkability B+: more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns · #40 of 161 in Louisiana.
Household incomes here are lower than in 89% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 20 minutes each way (Louisiana 26, U.S. 26). About one in five work in West Monroe; the top destination outside it is Monroe (37%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in West Monroe, in brief
A lot of West Monroe works one town over
42% of working residents work in a town that borders West Monroe: Monroe (37%), Brownsville (3%) and Claiborne (2%). Next door ↓
West Monroe is where the jobs are
West Monroe has 12,009 jobs, 2.6 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 20,000 people are in town, 59% more than the 12,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most West Monroe residents work close to home
71% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
West Monroe draws workers from far and wide
The 12,009 jobs in West Monroe are filled from a wide area. West Monroe’s own residents hold 8% and the ten next-biggest home towns 31%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Commutes from West Monroe are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 26 across Louisiana. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Louisiana worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
What’s behind West Monroe’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Monroe is better than 14% of U.S. towns, #115 of 161 in Louisiana. Job access by car holds West Monroe’s grade up (ahead of 70% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (26.3%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Monroe could be anywhere from D to C.
West Monroe fills up on a workday
On a workday 3,684 residents head out to work, 996 work right here, and 11,013 people come in from elsewhere.
About 20,000 people are in West Monroe on a workday afternoon, 59% more than live here.
2.6 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.
Half of West Monroe commutes less than 4 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 20% 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.
Where West Monroe’s workers come from
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where West Monroe clocks in
37% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
About 20 minutes each way, quicker than most of Louisiana
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Monroe workers work from home, vs 8% across Louisiana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,829 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Louisiana: 85% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
What the 12,009 jobs in West Monroe are
12,009 jobs are based in West Monroe. Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Monroe’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Monroe, 2013 → 2023: 12,120 → 12,009. 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.
Most trips from West Monroe start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Monroe is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns, #40 of 161 in Louisiana. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.3% across Louisiana.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,093 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). 13.6% of West Monroe households have no vehicle (Louisiana 8.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of West Monroe’s commuters take a bus or train.
How West Monroe compares with U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of West Monroe, the top three, the last and three more from Louisiana.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 326 | Belle Chasse LA | 10,934 | $115K | 6.1% | 2.5% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 672 | Mandeville LA | 12,918 | $94K | 7.1% | 2.9% | 16% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 790 | Moss Bluff LA | 12,482 | $92K | 8.9% | 1.1% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,171 | Commerce TX | 9,928 | $44K | 23.4% | 6.5% | 24% | D |
| 2,172 | Delta CO | 9,802 | $45K | 20.5% | 3.7% | 28% | D |
| 2,173 | West Monroe LA | 12,478 | $49K | 26.3% | 9.6% | 21% | D |
| 2,174 | Deming NM | 14,944 | $34K | 30.9% | 2.7% | 45% | D |
| 2,175 | Merrydale LA | 9,490 | $42K | 30.0% | 19.5% | <1% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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.
42% of West Monroe works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Monroe (37%). Darker towns draw more of West Monroe’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Monroe workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Monroe | – | D | B+ | 20 min | $49,386 |
| Claiborne | 2% | B | C | 19 min | $72,420 |
| Brownsville | 3% | D | B | 14 min | $35,526 |
| Monroe | 37% | D | A− | 18 min | $40,505 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 West Monroe: questions
What is the median household income in West Monroe?
$49,386 (±$14,364) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $60,756 across Louisiana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Monroe?
26.3%, against 18.9% across Louisiana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Monroe?
20 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Louisiana and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Monroe work?
21% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Monroe (37%, 4 mi), Brownsville (3%, 2 mi), Claiborne (2%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Monroe walkable?
West Monroe is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Monroe without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Monroe, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Monroe
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.