Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainFewer people are out of work in McCook (1.4%) than in 91% of U.S. towns
McCook grades C for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 78% of U.S. towns. More than half work in McCook itself; outside it, North Platte draws the most (4%, 64 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from McCook
Commutes from McCook are quick
The average trip to work takes 9 minutes, against 19 across Nebraska. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical Nebraska worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in McCook go to people who live here
Of the 3,902 jobs based in McCook, 48% are held by McCook residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
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.
McCook’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, McCook is better than 33% of U.S. towns, #46 of 57 in Nebraska. Unemployment holds McCook’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 20% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, McCook could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Getting to work from McCook takes about 9 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 2.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of McCook workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,372 commuters (the 6% 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.
Who leaves McCook for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,342 residents head out to work, 1,885 work right here, and 2,017 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 (1.21 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.
Where McCook goes to work
Where McCook clocks in
3% of workers
2% 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 McCook: what the 3,902 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in McCook, 2013 → 2023: 4,137 → 3,902. 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 McCook’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of McCook commutes less than 1 miles
About 27% 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.
Good to walk, short on transit: McCook
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, McCook is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #12 of 57 in Nebraska. Both inputs place McCook near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,580 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). 12.4% of McCook households have no vehicle (Nebraska 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of McCook’s commuters take a bus or train.
McCook is 2,340th of 3,205 U.S. towns of 5,000 to 9,700 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 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 94 | Gretna NE | 9,207 | $124K | 4.2% | 0.6% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 579 | Ralston NE | 6,382 | $69K | 4.0% | 2.2% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 586 | Plattsmouth NE | 6,955 | $74K | 5.1% | 0.7% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,338 | McGregor TX | 6,405 | $73K | 12.8% | 7.4% | 9% | C |
| 2,339 | Fort Myers Shores FL | 5,946 | $73K | 15.7% | 5.9% | 3% | C |
| 2,340 | McCook NE | 7,157 | $57K | 17.3% | 1.4% | 58% | C |
| 2,341 | Wailea HI | 6,352 | $90K | 14.0% | 6.0% | 20% | C |
| 2,342 | Galliano LA | 5,906 | $50K | 18.3% | 1.0% | 19% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,205 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 McCook, the top three, the last and three more from Nebraska.
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 McCook: questions
What is the median household income in McCook?
$56,917 (±$14,598) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in McCook?
17.3%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from McCook?
9 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in McCook work?
58% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are North Platte (4%, 64 mi), Omaha (3%, 250 mi), Lincoln (2%, 212 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is McCook walkable?
McCook is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around McCook without a car?
1% 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 McCook, from the people who make the trip.
More of McCook
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.