Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Work and commuting in West Alton
Only 1% work in West Alton; the top destination outside it is St. Charles (16%, 17 miles). Commuters spend 29 minutes getting to work on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. West Alton has 296 jobs, against 185 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in West Alton: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 183 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 294 people come in from elsewhere.
About 470 people are in West Alton on a workday afternoon, 31% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where West Alton’s workers come from
Where West Alton clocks in
9% of workers
8% 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.
86% of the jobs in West Alton pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Alton, 2013 → 2023: 360 → 296. 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 West Alton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
West Alton’s commute takes about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Alton workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 205 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.
How far West Alton goes to work
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.
West Alton and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Alton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Alton | – | — | — | 29 min | $111,500 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Alton’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 West Alton: questions
What is the median household income in West Alton?
$111,500 (±$51,317) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Alton?
1.7%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Alton?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Alton work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Charles (16%, 17 mi), St. Louis (9%, 16 mi), St. Peters (8%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around West Alton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Alton, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Alton
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.