Crystal has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Working from home is the commute for 0% of workers, where Maine as a whole has 16%. Employers in Crystal report 14 jobs; 68 of its residents have a job. Only 1% stay in Crystal for work; outside it, Houlton is the main destination (18%, 28 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Crystal on a workday afternoon
On a workday 67 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 13 people come in from elsewhere.
About 190 people are in Crystal on a workday afternoon, 22% 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.
Out of Crystal to work: where people go
Where Crystal clocks in
18% of workers
12% 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.
Crystal makes things: 71% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Crystal, 2013 → 2023: 46 → 14. 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 Crystal’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Crystal: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Crystal workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 73 commuters (the 0% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Crystal
About 31% 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.
Crystal and its neighbors: 30% work next door
The biggest share goes to Island Falls (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Crystal workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal | – | — | — | 27 min | $48,125 |
| Patten | 9% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Sherman | 9% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Island Falls | 12% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Hersey | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Patten: not graded. Sherman, Island Falls and Hersey: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Crystal’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 Crystal: questions
What is the median household income in Crystal?
$48,125 (±$12,899) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Crystal?
14.7%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Crystal?
27 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Crystal work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Houlton (18%, 28 mi), Island Falls (12%, 9 mi), Dyer Brook (9%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Crystal 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 Crystal, from the people who make the trip.
More of Crystal
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.