Photo: Jayron32 · CC BY-SA 4.0Archer Lodge has some of the lowest unemployment in the country, with hardly anyone out of work
Hardly any work in Archer Lodge; the top destination outside it is Raleigh (32%, 18 miles). Archer Lodge grades B+ for jobs and income and D for walkability. 23% of workers work from home, against 16% across North Carolina.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Archer Lodge apart
Archer Lodge is a place people come home to
There are 272 jobs based in Archer Lodge, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Archer Lodge has about 3,200 people in it, 43% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Archer Lodge workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 25 across North Carolina. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
One in three of Archer Lodge works in Raleigh
849 working residents, 32%, have their main job in Raleigh, 18 miles away. That’s 32 times as many as work in Archer Lodge itself. The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Archer Lodge than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Archer Lodge fell from 370 in 2013 to 272 in 2023, −26%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
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.
Jobs & income in Archer Lodge: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Archer Lodge is better than 69% of U.S. towns, #75 of 290 in North Carolina. Unemployment holds Archer Lodge’s grade up (hardly any, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (17.4%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Archer Lodge could be anywhere from B− to A+.
Who leaves Archer Lodge for work, and who comes in
On a workday 2,668 residents head out to work, 17 work right here, and 255 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,200 people are in Archer Lodge on a workday afternoon, 43% fewer than live here.
0.10 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.
Commuting from Archer Lodge: about 32 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Archer Lodge workers work from home, vs 16% across North Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,805 commuters (the 23% who work from home are left out). Across North Carolina: 85% 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 towns that employ Archer Lodge’s residents
Where Archer Lodge clocks in
32% of workers
6% 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.
What the 272 jobs in Archer Lodge are
272 jobs are based in Archer Lodge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Archer Lodge, 2013 → 2023: 370 → 272. 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 Archer Lodge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Archer Lodge commutes less than 20 miles
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.
For most of Archer Lodge, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Archer Lodge is more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns, #269 of 290 in North Carolina. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.9% across North Carolina.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,335 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.9% of Archer Lodge households have no vehicle (North Carolina 5.3%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Archer Lodge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 4,000 to 7,600, Archer Lodge ranks 1,176th of 3,428 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 281 | Midland NC | 5,151 | $101K | 4.1% | 1.8% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 382 | Stokesdale NC | 6,133 | $121K | 5.6% | 1.9% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 433 | Royal Pines NC | 4,325 | $108K | 1.5% | 3.2% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,174 | Lancaster WI | 4,031 | $84K | 6.4% | 1.8% | 36% | B+ |
| 1,175 | Bradford Township PA | 4,471 | $90K | 4.7% | 2.7% | 17% | B+ |
| 1,176 | Archer Lodge NC | 5,649 | $91K | 17.4% | 0.0% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,177 | Jenkintown PA | 4,785 | $111K | 9.7% | 6.7% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,178 | Saukville WI | 4,554 | $80K | 8.5% | 3.7% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,428 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Archer Lodge, the top three, the last and three more from North Carolina.
How Archer Lodge compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Clayton (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Archer Lodge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archer Lodge | – | B+ | D | 32 min | $91,188 |
| Clayton | 4% | A− | C+ | 31 min | $78,822 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Archer Lodge’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 Archer Lodge: questions
What is the median household income in Archer Lodge?
$91,188 (±$28,265) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,388 across North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Archer Lodge?
17.4%, against 13.0% across North Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Archer Lodge?
32 minutes each way on average, against 25 across North Carolina and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Archer Lodge work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Raleigh (32%, 18 mi), Durham (6%, 36 mi), Cary (5%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Archer Lodge walkable?
Archer Lodge is more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Archer Lodge without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Archer Lodge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Archer Lodge
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.