About two in five of Center Township’s working residents commute to Nevada
Jobs & income C−: better than 16% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #199 of 247 in Missouri.
Walkability A−: more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns · #34 of 247 in Missouri.
Household incomes here are lower than in 88% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 16 minutes each way (Missouri 24, U.S. 26). About two in five work in Center Township; the top destination outside it is Nevada (42%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Center Township, in brief
Center Township and Nevada trade workers both ways
Nevada is the top workplace for Center Township residents (42%) and also where the most people who work in Center Township come from (27% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from Center Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 24 across Missouri. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Missouri worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
38% 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.
What’s behind Center Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Center Township is better than 16% of U.S. towns, #199 of 247 in Missouri. Unemployment holds Center Township’s grade up (4.4%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($49,962, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Center Township could be anywhere from D to C.
42% of working residents work in Nevada
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Center Township clocks in
5% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
About 16 minutes each way, quicker than most of Missouri
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Center Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,847 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Half of Center Township commutes less than 18 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 38% 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.
Center Township fills up on a workday
On a workday 2,327 residents head out to work, 1,469 work right here, and 3,274 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in Center Township on a workday afternoon, 10% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.25 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What the 4,743 jobs in Center Township are
4,743 jobs are based in Center Township. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Center Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Center Township, 2013 → 2023: 5,420 → 4,743. 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.
Center Township is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Center Township is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #34 of 247 in Missouri. Both inputs place Center Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,212 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 16.3% of Center Township households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Center Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Center Township is 2,493rd of 2,790 U.S. towns of 6,700 to 12,900 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Center Township, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Town and Country MO | 11,619 | $233K | 1.7% | 2.5% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,491 | River Rouge MI | 6,814 | $41K | 39.8% | 11.4% | 4% | C− |
| 2,492 | El Campo TX | 12,142 | $67K | 21.0% | 6.4% | 26% | C− |
| 2,493 | Center Township MO | 9,550 | $50K | 19.1% | 4.4% | 39% | C− |
| 2,494 | Pee Pee Township OH | 7,344 | $57K | 18.6% | 5.4% | 22% | C− |
| 2,495 | Fitzgerald GA | 8,882 | $37K | 27.8% | 3.2% | 30% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,790 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
42% of Center Township works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Nevada (42%). Darker towns draw more of Center Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Center Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | – | C− | A− | 16 min | $49,962 |
| Washington Township | under 1% | C− | D | 19 min | $63,313 |
| Badger Township | under 1% | — | — | 14 min | — |
| Deerfield Township | under 1% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Drywood Township | under 1% | D | D | 22 min | $55,950 |
| Moundville Township | under 1% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Nevada | 42% | D | A | 14 min | $42,813 |
| Walker Township | under 1% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Badger Township, Deerfield Township, Moundville Township and Walker Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Center Township: questions
What is the median household income in Center Township?
$49,962 (±$3,745) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Center Township?
19.1%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Center Township?
16 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Center Township work?
39% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Nevada (42%, 3 mi), Springfield (5%, 72 mi), Fort Scott (4%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Center Township walkable?
Center Township is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.4 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Center Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Center Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Center Township
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.