Polk Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.3 for each
Polk Township has 95 jobs; 310 of its residents have a job. Only 1% stay in Polk Township for work; outside it, St. Joseph is the main destination (37%, 22 miles). Commuters spend 67 minutes getting to work 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
Jobs and commuting in Polk Township: the gist
Polk Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 67 minutes each way, against 24 across Missouri. Over a year that’s about 514 hours of commuting, 330 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
37% of Polk Township works in St. Joseph
115 working residents, 37%, have their main job in St. Joseph, 22 miles away. That’s 37 times as many as work in Polk Township itself. The commute map ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% 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 310 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The trip to work from Polk Township: about 67 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 21.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Polk Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 346 commuters (the 18% 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.
Where people from Polk Township work
Where Polk Township clocks in
37% of workers
8% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Polk Township
About 35% 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.
Polk Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 306 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 91 people come in from elsewhere.
About 500 people are in Polk Township 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.
Services make up most of the work in Polk Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Polk Township, 2013 → 2023: 96 → 95. 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 Polk Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Polk Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Polk Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk Township | – | — | — | 67 min | $65,455 |
| Grant Township | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Sherman Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Jackson Township | under 2% | D | A− | 29 min | $57,708 |
| Union Star | under 2% | — | — | 82 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Grant Township, Sherman Township and Union Star: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Polk Township’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 Polk Township: questions
What is the median household income in Polk Township?
$65,455 (±$10,273) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Polk Township?
3.6%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Polk Township?
67 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Polk Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Joseph (37%, 22 mi), Kansas City (8%, 59 mi), Cameron (4%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Polk Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Polk Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Polk 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.