Scout's Rest Ranch Headquarters · Photo: Smallbones · Public domainHousehold incomes in North Platte trail those of 77% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income North Platte is better than 29% of U.S. towns (C); for walkability it is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (A−). Below the poverty line: 15.4% of residents, next to 10.6% across Nebraska. Home is the office for 2% of workers (Nebraska 11%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets North Platte apart on work
Most jobs in North Platte go to people who live here
Of the 10,791 jobs based in North Platte, 54% are held by North Platte residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Commutes from North Platte are quick
The average trip to work takes 13 minutes, against 19 across Nebraska. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Nebraska worker. Time on the road ↓
Few North Platte workers work from home
Only 2% of workers work from home, against 11% across Nebraska. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
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.
North Platte’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
Unemployment holds North Platte’s grade up (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($58,097, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Platte could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Who commutes out of North Platte, and who commutes in
On a workday 3,238 residents head out to work, 5,827 work right here, and 4,964 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 (1.19 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.
The trip to work from North Platte: about 13 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Platte workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,792 commuters (the 2% 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.
Where North Platte goes to work
Where North Platte clocks in
3% of workers
3% of workers
3% 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 10,791 jobs in North Platte are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Platte, 2013 → 2023: 11,185 → 10,791. 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 North Platte’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from North Platte
About 23% 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.
North Platte is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 11,053 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 11% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.0% of North Platte households have no vehicle (Nebraska 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of North Platte’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, North Platte is 1,377th of 1,658 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 290 | Papillion NE | 25,127 | $112K | 5.3% | 3.2% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 622 | La Vista NE | 16,543 | $82K | 7.5% | 3.4% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,086 | Columbus NE | 25,248 | $65K | 11.3% | 2.4% | 49% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,375 | Hazelwood MO | 24,849 | $56K | 15.9% | 10.4% | 6% | C |
| 1,376 | Forest Park GA | 19,168 | $41K | 20.3% | 5.7% | 6% | C |
| 1,377 | North Platte NE | 22,524 | $58K | 15.4% | 3.9% | 64% | C |
| 1,378 | Cohoes NY | 18,518 | $61K | 25.9% | 5.8% | 7% | C |
| 1,379 | Berea KY | 16,662 | $59K | 17.9% | 4.2% | 24% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 North Platte, 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 North Platte: questions
What is the median household income in North Platte?
$58,097 (±$6,170) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Platte?
15.4%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Platte?
13 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Platte work?
64% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Kearney (3%, 92 mi), Lincoln (3%, 214 mi), Omaha (3%, 244 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Platte walkable?
North Platte is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.5 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Platte without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Platte, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Platte
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.