Miners Union Hall · Photo: Geologyguy · Public domainEarning a living in Philipsburg
There are 336 jobs in Philipsburg, and 299 of its residents work somewhere. About one in four work in Philipsburg; the top destination outside it is Missoula (8%, 51 miles). The trip to work takes 20 minutes on average (Montana 19, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Philipsburg in brief
Philipsburg’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Philipsburg is Missoula, 51 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (23) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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 299 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Miles to work from Philipsburg
About 31% 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.
Who leaves Philipsburg for work, and who comes in
On a workday 222 residents head out to work, 77 work right here, and 259 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.12 per resident).
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 Philipsburg to work: where people go
Where Philipsburg clocks in
8% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
Jobs in Philipsburg: what the 336 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Philipsburg, 2013 → 2023: 334 → 336. 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 Philipsburg’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 20 minutes each way for Philipsburg’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Philipsburg workers work from home, vs 13% across Montana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 286 commuters (the 10% 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.
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 Philipsburg: questions
What is the median household income in Philipsburg?
$29,773 (±$17,917) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,509 across Montana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Philipsburg?
16.4%, against 11.5% across Montana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Philipsburg?
20 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Montana and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Philipsburg work?
26% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Missoula (8%, 51 mi), Anaconda-Deer Lodge County (7%, 18 mi), Billings (5%, 230 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Philipsburg without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Philipsburg, from the people who make the trip.
More of Philipsburg
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.