Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY-SA 4.0Mercer has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Only 1% work in Mercer itself; outside it, Augusta draws the most (15%, 23 miles). There are 62 jobs in Mercer, against 336 working residents. A typical one-way commute lasts 30 minutes (Maine 25, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Mercer
Mercer is a place people come home to
There are 62 jobs based in Mercer, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Mercer has about 440 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Mercer’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Mercer is Augusta, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 15% of working residents (49) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Mercer workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 38 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 336 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
A workday in Mercer: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 331 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 57 people come in from elsewhere.
About 440 people are in Mercer on a workday afternoon, 38% 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.
How many miles Mercer commutes
About 28% 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.
About 30 minutes each way, longer than most of Maine
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Mercer workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 229 commuters (the 20% 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.
Where the trip to work from Mercer ends
Where Mercer clocks in
15% 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.
A place that makes things: 35% of Mercer’s jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Mercer, 2013 → 2023: 27 → 62. 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 Mercer’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How Mercer compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Smithfield (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Mercer workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer | – | — | — | 30 min | $71,107 |
| Starks | under 3% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Smithfield | 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| New Sharon | under 3% | C | C+ | 30 min | $63,889 |
| Norridgewock | 2% | C− | D− | 22 min | $61,579 |
| Rome | under 3% | C+ | D | 30 min | $77,639 |
Same-state neighbors only. Starks and Smithfield: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Mercer’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 Mercer: questions
What is the median household income in Mercer?
$71,107 (±$1,586) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Mercer?
13.6%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Mercer?
30 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Mercer work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Augusta (15%, 23 mi), Waterville (10%, 14 mi), Skowhegan (10%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Mercer 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 Mercer, from the people who make the trip.
More of Mercer
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.