Photo: MVASCO · CC BY-SA 3.0Most of Smithfield commutes out: there are 0.4 jobs for every working resident
22% of workers have no commute at all (Maine 16%). 185 jobs are based in Smithfield for 471 working residents. Only 2% work in Smithfield; the top destination outside it is Skowhegan (9%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Smithfield: the figures worth knowing
Smithfield workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 25 across Maine. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (22 to 30 minutes). Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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 471 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
About 33 minutes each way for Smithfield’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Smithfield workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 319 commuters (the 22% 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.
How far Smithfield goes to work
About 30% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Smithfield
On a workday 460 residents head out to work, 11 work right here, and 174 people come in from elsewhere.
About 670 people are in Smithfield on a workday afternoon, 30% 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.
The towns that employ Smithfield’s residents
Where Smithfield clocks in
9% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
Jobs in Smithfield: what the 185 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Smithfield, 2013 → 2023: 170 → 185. 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 Smithfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Work in the towns next to Smithfield
The biggest share goes to Oakland (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Smithfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smithfield | – | — | — | 33 min | $107,917 |
| Rome | under 3% | C+ | D | 30 min | $77,639 |
| Mercer | under 3% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Norridgewock | under 3% | C− | D− | 22 min | $61,579 |
| Oakland | 4% | B | C− | 27 min | $77,813 |
| Fairfield | under 3% | B− | B− | 25 min | $64,101 |
| Belgrade | under 3% | B− | D | 23 min | $88,338 |
Same-state neighbors only. Mercer: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Smithfield’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 Smithfield: questions
What is the median household income in Smithfield?
$107,917 (±$26,605) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Smithfield?
5.8%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Smithfield?
33 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Smithfield work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Skowhegan (9%, 11 mi), Augusta (8%, 22 mi), Waterville (7%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Smithfield without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Smithfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Smithfield
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.