Ben Bonderson Farm · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainEmerson has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Employers in Emerson report 186 jobs, and 351 of its residents work somewhere. Only 2% work in Emerson; the top destination outside it is Sioux City (13%, 23 miles). Commuters spend 23 minutes getting to work on average; Nebraska averages 19, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Emerson
Emerson’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Emerson is Sioux City, IA, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (46) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A lot of Emerson workers cross into Iowa
20% of Emerson workers work outside Nebraska, most of them in Iowa, the Census survey finds. 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 351 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Miles to work from Emerson
About 20% 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.
Out of Emerson to work: where people go
Where Emerson clocks in
13% 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.
Who works in Emerson, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 344 residents head out to work, 7 work right here, and 179 people come in from elsewhere.
About 660 people are in Emerson on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
In Emerson, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Emerson, 2013 → 2023: 186 → 186. 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 Emerson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Emerson spends getting to work: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Emerson workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 416 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across Nebraska: 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.
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 Emerson: questions
What is the median household income in Emerson?
$57,292 (±$16,979) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Emerson?
16.0%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Emerson?
23 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Emerson work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux City (13%, 23 mi), Wakefield (10%, 7 mi), South Sioux City (7%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Emerson 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 Emerson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Emerson
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.