Walton Ranger Station Historic District · Photo: National Park Service inventory · Public domainMaking a living in Essex
The Census job records count 12 working residents of Essex and no jobs based in it. For 25% of workers, the job is at home, where Montana as a whole has 12%. Hardly any work in Essex; the top destination outside it is Kalispell (33%, 33 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Essex quiets down on a workday
On a workday 12 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.
About 70 people are in Essex on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.00 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.
Out of Essex to work: where people go
Where Essex clocks in
17% of workers
17% 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.
Working from home in Essex
of Essex workers work from home, vs 13% across Montana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 42 commuters (the 25% who work from home are left out). Across Montana: 81% 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.
The distance from Essex 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.
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 Essex: questions
What is the median household income in Essex?
$60,250 (±$34,574) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,509 across Montana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Essex?
4.9%, against 11.5% across Montana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Essex work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Kalispell (33%, 33 mi), Columbia Falls (17%, 27 mi), Bigfork (17%, 25 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Essex without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Essex, from the people who make the trip.
More of Essex
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.