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Jobs & commute in Panama

Work means Lincoln for about two in three of Panama’s working residents

The trip to work takes 34 minutes on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. Hardly any work in Panama itself; outside it, Lincoln draws the most (64%, 17 miles). Employers in Panama report 53 jobs, against 111 working residents.

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

Panama by day and by night

On a workday 110 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 52 people come in from elsewhere.

110live here, work elsewhere
1live and work here
52work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night230
Workday170
230live here− 110head out to work+ 52come in to work= 170on a workday

About 170 people are in Panama on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.48jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

0.48 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.

The commute map

The places Panama commutes to

Alvo: 1 residents work here (1%)PanamaFirthPalmyra: 1 residents work here (1%)UnadillaUticaElmwoodBennet: 1 residents work here (1%)YutanHickman: 1 residents work here (1%)Weeping Water: 1 residents work here (1%)La Vista: 2 residents work here (2%)Grand Island: 3 residents work here (3%)Lincoln: 71 residents work here (64%)Omaha: 7 residents work here (6%)Nemaha TownshipLincolnOmahaGrand IslandLa VistaAlvoPalmyraPanama
1
Lincoln16.9 mi away
64%71
2
Omaha51.7 mi away
6%7
3
Grand Island99.2 mi away
3%3
4
La Vista46.4 mi away
2%2
5
Alvo19.9 mi away
1%1
6
Panama (in town)right here
1%1
7
Palmyra9.6 mi away
1%1
8
Bennet5.7 mi away
1%1
9
Hickman6.4 mi away
1%1
10
Weeping Water26.9 mi away
1%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
20%22
The top trips

Where Panama clocks in

Lines 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.

The jobs

In Panama, services account for most jobs

Jobs based in PanamaJobs Panama residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms11%14%
Trade, transport & utilities4%14%
Services: health, schools, offices85%72%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less34%15%
$1,251–$3,333 a month21%19%
Over $3,333 a month45%66%

Who does it

29 or younger42%18%
30 to 5440%52%
55 and older19%30%
+141%

Jobs based in Panama, 2013 → 2023: 22 → 53. 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 Panama’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

Panama’s commute takes about 34 minutes

A year of commuting
259 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Panama34 min
Nebraska19 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
12%

of Panama workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.

About 1 in 10
How Panama gets to work
94%Drive alone
5%Carpool
1%Walk

Share of the 121 commuters (the 12% 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.

How far

The commute from Panama, by distance

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miLincoln: 64% · 16.9 miOmaha: 6% · 51.7 miGrand Island: 3% · 99.2 miLa Vista: 2% · 46.4 miAlvo: 1% · 19.9 miPalmyra: 1% · 9.6 miBennet: 1% · 5.7 miHickman: 1% · 6.4 miWeeping Water: 1% · 26.9 miLincoln 64%Omaha 6%Grand Island 3%La Vista 2%Alvo 1%Panama
PanamaTop destinations (size = commuters)
13%Under 10 mi14 residents
70%10–24 mi78 residents
7%25–50 mi8 residents
10%Over 50 mi11 residents

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.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Panama: questions

What is the median household income in Panama?

$94,514 (±$11,688) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Panama?

3.5%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Panama?

34 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Panama work?

1% work in town.

Can you get around Panama without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Panama, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Panama

Panama home →

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.