Photo: Paul Wainwright a.k.a. Paul wainwright photography at en.wikipedia · CC BY 3.0Alna has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Only 1% work in Alna; the top destination outside it is Portland (12%, 42 miles). 40 jobs are based in Alna, against 311 working residents. Working residents average 35 minutes each way, next to 25 for Maine and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Alna, in brief
Alna’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Alna is Portland, 42 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (36) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Alna is a place people come home to
There are 40 jobs based in Alna, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Alna has about 460 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Alna workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 77 more than the state’s typical 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; with 311 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Alna
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.
How a workday changes Alna
On a workday 307 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 36 people come in from elsewhere.
About 460 people are in Alna on a workday afternoon, 37% 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 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting from Alna: about 35 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alna workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 291 commuters (the 16% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% 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.
Out of Alna to work: where people go
Where Alna clocks in
12% of workers
10% of workers
10% 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.
Goods jobs make up 58% of work in Alna
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alna, 2013 → 2023: 36 → 40. 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 Alna’s own residents hold wherever they work.
15% of Alna works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Newcastle (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alna workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alna | – | — | — | 35 min | $93,125 |
| Newcastle | 10% | A− | B+ | 17 min | $89,868 |
| Wiscasset | 5% | B | C | 25 min | $71,118 |
| Whitefield | under 3% | B | C− | 30 min | $73,875 |
| Jefferson | under 3% | B− | C+ | 30 min | $85,078 |
| Dresden | under 3% | B− | D | 33 min | $74,844 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alna’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 Alna: questions
What is the median household income in Alna?
$93,125 (±$16,303) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alna?
2.1%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alna?
35 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alna work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (12%, 42 mi), Newcastle (10%, 4 mi), Damariscotta (10%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Alna 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 Alna, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alna
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.