Photo: Michaelalandis · CC BY-SA 4.0Springfield draws more than half of Republic’s working residents
A typical one-way commute lasts 25 minutes, where Missouri has 24 and the U.S. 26. Jobs and income earn Republic B−; getting around on foot earns it B. Measured by household income, Republic is behind 65% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Republic, in a few figures
More than half of Republic works in Springfield
4,847 working residents, 57%, have their main job in Springfield, 6.9 miles away across the town line. That’s 5 times as many as work in Republic itself. The commute map ↓
Republic has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Republic went from 3,508 in 2013 to 5,436 in 2023, +55%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Republic
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Republic is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #96 of 247 in Missouri. Unemployment holds Republic’s grade up (1.9%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (17.7%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Republic could be anywhere from C+ to B.
Where people from Republic work
Where Republic clocks in
57% 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.
The 5,436 jobs based in Republic
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Republic, 2013 → 2023: 3,508 → 5,436. 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 Republic’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Republic
On a workday 7,526 residents head out to work, 968 work right here, and 4,468 people come in from elsewhere.
About 19,000 people are in Republic on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.64 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.
Each way, about 25 minutes from Republic
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Republic workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,799 commuters (the 10% 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.
Republic’s commute, mile by mile
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.
In Republic, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Republic is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns, #151 of 247 in Missouri. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.0% 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 9,733 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). 2.9% of Republic households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Republic’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Republic is 1,067th among 1,658 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 132 | Creve Coeur MO | 18,480 | $127K | 6.1% | 2.6% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 158 | Kirkwood MO | 29,331 | $121K | 5.3% | 3.1% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 180 | Webster Groves MO | 23,450 | $115K | 4.2% | 3.7% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,065 | Patterson CA | 26,587 | $94K | 9.0% | 5.7% | 16% | B− |
| 1,066 | Bourbonnais IL | 17,658 | $82K | 9.5% | 6.1% | 13% | B− |
| 1,067 | Republic MO | 22,404 | $66K | 17.7% | 1.9% | 11% | B− |
| 1,068 | Moreau NY | 16,818 | $81K | 12.8% | 3.5% | 11% | B− |
| 1,069 | Suisun City CA | 29,454 | $95K | 8.4% | 8.4% | 3% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Republic, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
57% of Republic works in a bordering town
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Republic workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic | – | B− | B | 25 min | $65,729 |
| Springfield | 57% | C | A− | 18 min | $49,311 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Springfield. Darker towns draw more of Republic’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 Republic: questions
What is the median household income in Republic?
$65,729 (±$3,714) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Republic?
17.7%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Republic?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Republic work?
11% work in town.
Is Republic walkable?
Republic is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Republic 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 Republic, from the people who make the trip.
More of Republic
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.