Photo: Nyttend · Public domainJackson has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.1 for each
Hardly any work in Jackson; the top destination outside it is Belfast (33%, 14 miles). 15 jobs are based in Jackson, and 258 of its residents work somewhere. Working residents average 35 minutes each way, where Maine has 25 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Jackson: the figures worth knowing
Jackson is a place people come home to
There are 15 jobs based in Jackson, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Jackson has about 370 people in it, 40% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Jackson and Belfast trade workers both ways
Belfast is the top workplace for Jackson residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Jackson come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Jackson 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 258 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How a workday changes Jackson
On a workday 257 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 14 people come in from elsewhere.
About 370 people are in Jackson on a workday afternoon, 40% 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.
Where people from Jackson work
Where Jackson clocks in
33% of workers
7% 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 daily trip from Jackson: about 35 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jackson workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 260 commuters (the 15% 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.
Goods jobs make up 67% of work in Jackson
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jackson, 2013 → 2023: 25 → 15. 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 Jackson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Jackson commutes
About 17% 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.
Work in the towns next to Jackson
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jackson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | – | — | — | 35 min | $75,167 |
| Monroe | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Brooks | under 2% | D | B− | 25 min | $59,130 |
| Thorndike | under 2% | — | — | 36 min | — |
| Dixmont | under 2% | C+ | D− | 35 min | $75,952 |
Same-state neighbors only. Monroe and Thorndike: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Jackson’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 Jackson: questions
What is the median household income in Jackson?
$75,167 (±$19,044) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jackson?
13.8%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jackson?
35 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jackson work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Belfast (33%, 14 mi), Bangor (7%, 23 mi), Augusta (5%, 35 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Jackson without a car?
<1% 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 Jackson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jackson
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.