Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0Tunica at work: jobs, income and the commute
About one in ten work in Tunica; the top destination outside it is Tunica Resorts (12%, 10 miles). Commuters spend 30 minutes getting to work on average, where Mississippi has 26 and the U.S. 26. 654 jobs are based in Tunica; 389 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Tunica, in brief
Tunica is where the jobs are
Tunica has 654 jobs, 1.7 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
A lot of Tunica workers cross into Tennessee
18% of Tunica workers work outside Mississippi, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Memphis (10%) is one of the top workplaces. 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 389 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
A workday in Tunica: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 348 residents head out to work, 41 work right here, and 613 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Tunica on a workday afternoon, 32% more than live here.
1.7 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.
The daily trip into Tunica
Where Tunica clocks in
12% of workers
10% of workers
7% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Tunica
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Tunica, 2013 → 2023: 826 → 654. 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 Tunica’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Tunica’s commute takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Tunica workers work from home, vs 6% across Mississippi. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 324 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Mississippi: 87% 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.
Miles to work from Tunica
About 26% 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.
Next door to Tunica
The biggest share goes to North Tunica (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Tunica workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunica | – | — | — | 30 min | $39,282 |
| North Tunica | 4% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. North Tunica: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Tunica’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 Tunica: questions
What is the median household income in Tunica?
$39,282 (±$27,086) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $56,447 across Mississippi and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Tunica?
19.5%, against 18.9% across Mississippi and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Tunica?
30 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Mississippi and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Tunica work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tunica Resorts (12%, 10 mi), Memphis (10%, 37 mi), Olive Branch (7%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Tunica without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Tunica, from the people who make the trip.
More of Tunica
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.