Most of Rockaway Beach commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
Rockaway Beach has 47 jobs, and 337 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any stay in Rockaway Beach for work; outside it, Branson is the main destination (35%, 9 miles). Working residents average 25 minutes each way; Missouri averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach is a place people come home to
There are 47 jobs based in Rockaway Beach, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Rockaway Beach has about 530 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
One in three of Rockaway Beach works in Branson
119 working residents, 35%, have their main job in Branson, 9.2 miles away. That’s far more as work in Rockaway Beach itself. The commute map ↓
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 337 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who commutes out of Rockaway Beach, and who commutes in
On a workday 337 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 47 people come in from elsewhere.
About 530 people are in Rockaway Beach on a workday afternoon, 36% 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.
Where Rockaway Beach’s working residents head each day
Where Rockaway Beach clocks in
35% of workers
15% 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.
What Rockaway Beach’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rockaway Beach, 2013 → 2023: 51 → 47. 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 Rockaway Beach’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Rockaway Beach: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rockaway Beach workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 255 commuters (the 8% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Rockaway Beach
About 17% 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.
Rockaway Beach and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Merriam Woods (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rockaway Beach workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockaway Beach | – | — | — | 25 min | $63,646 |
| Merriam Woods | 2% | D | C+ | 24 min | $52,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rockaway Beach’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 Rockaway Beach: questions
What is the median household income in Rockaway Beach?
$63,646 (±$12,414) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rockaway Beach?
13.0%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rockaway Beach?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rockaway Beach work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Branson (35%, 9 mi), Springfield (15%, 35 mi), Forsyth (4%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Rockaway Beach without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rockaway Beach, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rockaway Beach
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.