Unemployment in Herculaneum (1.2%) is lower than in 93% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are higher than in 71% of U.S. towns. For jobs and income Herculaneum is better than 91% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (B). The trip to work takes 29 minutes on average, where Missouri has 24 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Herculaneum stands out on work
Herculaneum’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Herculaneum is St. Louis, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (283) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Herculaneum workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 24 across Missouri. Over a year that’s about 222 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.
The figures behind Herculaneum’s Jobs & income grade
Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($93,438, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Herculaneum could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Miles to work from Herculaneum
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.
Commuting from Herculaneum: about 29 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Herculaneum workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,320 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% 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 a workday changes Herculaneum
On a workday 2,212 residents head out to work, 56 work right here, and 1,461 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,700 people are in Herculaneum on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.67 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
12% of working residents work in St. Louis
Where Herculaneum clocks in
12% of workers
6% of workers
4% 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 Herculaneum: what the 1,517 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Herculaneum, 2013 → 2023: 1,555 → 1,517. 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 Herculaneum’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute in Herculaneum is mostly behind the wheel
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.2% across Missouri.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,676 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 26% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 41% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.8% of Herculaneum households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Herculaneum’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Herculaneum is 383rd of 3,541 U.S. towns of 3,800 to 7,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | St. Paul MO | 3,849 | $159K | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 97 | Cottleville MO | 6,717 | $131K | 2.0% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 381 | Big Sioux Township SD | 5,152 | $128K | 3.2% | 2.7% | 28% | A |
| 382 | Margaret AL | 7,149 | $102K | 3.7% | 1.6% | <1% | A |
| 383 | Herculaneum MO | 5,402 | $93K | 5.6% | 1.2% | 2% | A |
| 384 | Reno TX | 3,823 | $96K | 6.3% | 1.0% | 1% | A |
| 385 | Brier WA | 6,597 | $132K | 6.7% | 3.3% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,541 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Herculaneum, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
12% of Herculaneum works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Festus (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Herculaneum workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herculaneum | – | A | B | 29 min | $93,438 |
| Pevely | 2% | B− | B+ | 26 min | $56,000 |
| Crystal City | 4% | B+ | B− | 32 min | $72,598 |
| Festus | 6% | C+ | B | 26 min | $73,532 |
| Horine | under 3% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Horine: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Herculaneum’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 Herculaneum: questions
What is the median household income in Herculaneum?
$93,438 (±$13,888) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Herculaneum?
5.6%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Herculaneum?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Herculaneum work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Louis (12%, 27 mi), Festus (6%, 3 mi), Crystal City (4%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Herculaneum walkable?
Herculaneum is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Herculaneum without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Herculaneum, from the people who make the trip.
More of Herculaneum
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.