Christian Kupke Farmstead · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Jobs and the daily commute in South Bend
Home is the office for 0% of workers, next to 11% for Nebraska as a whole. Hardly any stay in South Bend for work; outside it, Lincoln is the main destination (34%, 26 miles). The average commute takes 22 minutes each way; Nebraska averages 19, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily commute in and out of South Bend
On a workday 44 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.
About 50 people are in South Bend on a workday afternoon, 47% fewer than live here.
0.00 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.
Where South Bend goes to work
Where South Bend clocks in
34% of workers
25% 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.
Time on the road from South Bend: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Bend workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 59 commuters (the 0% 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 South Bend goes to work
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.
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 South Bend: questions
What is the median household income in South Bend?
$64,167 (±$19,252) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Bend?
19.0%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Bend?
22 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Bend work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lincoln (34%, 26 mi), Omaha (25%, 21 mi), Ashland (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around South Bend 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 South Bend, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Bend
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.