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Jobs & commute in Trenton

Jobs, pay and the trip to work in Trenton

There are 237 jobs in Trenton, and 172 of its residents work somewhere. About one in seven stay in Trenton for work; outside it, McCook is the main destination (17%, 21 miles). The average commute takes 25 minutes each way, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally.

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

Day and night

How many people are in Trenton by day

On a workday 149 residents head out to work, 23 work right here, and 214 people come in from elsewhere.

149live here, work elsewhere
23live and work here
214work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night470
Workday530
470live here− 150head out to work+ 210come in to work= 530on a workday

About 530 people are in Trenton on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
1.38jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

About as many jobs as working residents (1.38 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 commute map

The towns that employ Trenton’s residents

SterlingHayes CenterPalisade: 9 residents work here (5%)Stratton: 6 residents work here (3%)TrentonCulbertson: 7 residents work here (4%)Benkelman: 6 residents work here (3%)Imperial: 5 residents work here (3%)OgallalaMcCook: 29 residents work here (17%)North Platte: 6 residents work here (3%)Kearney: 6 residents work here (3%)Lincoln: 7 residents work here (4%)McCookPalisadeCulbertsonLincolnStrattonBenkelmanTrenton
1
McCook20.8 mi away
17%29
2
Trenton (in town)right here
13%23
3
Palisade13 mi away
5%9
4
Culbertson9.8 mi away
4%7
5
Lincoln232.1 mi away
4%7
6
Stratton11.4 mi away
3%6
7
Benkelman29.2 mi away
3%6
8
North Platte67.1 mi away
3%6
9
Kearney107.9 mi away
3%6
10
Imperial40.4 mi away
3%5
Everywhere elseother towns and states
40%68
The top trips

Where Trenton 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

Jobs in Trenton: what the 237 are

Jobs based in TrentonJobs Trenton residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms18%21%
Trade, transport & utilities5%31%
Services: health, schools, offices77%48%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less17%18%
$1,251–$3,333 a month33%40%
Over $3,333 a month50%42%

Who does it

29 or younger16%21%
30 to 5449%49%
55 and older35%30%
+39%

Jobs based in Trenton, 2013 → 2023: 170 → 237. 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 Trenton’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

The daily trip from Trenton: about 25 minutes

A year of commuting
192 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Trenton25 min
Nebraska19 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
5%

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

About 1 in 10
How Trenton gets to work
87%Drive alone
7%Carpool
4%Walk
2%Other

Share of the 208 commuters (the 5% 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 distance from Trenton to work

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miMcCook: 17% · 20.8 miPalisade: 5% · 13 miCulbertson: 4% · 9.8 miLincoln: 4% · 232.1 miStratton: 3% · 11.4 miBenkelman: 3% · 29.2 miNorth Platte: 3% · 67.1 miKearney: 3% · 107.9 miImperial: 3% · 40.4 miMcCook 17%Palisade 5%Culbertson 4%Lincoln 4%Stratton 3%Trenton
TrentonTop destinations (size = commuters)
23%Under 10 mi40 residents
35%10–24 mi60 residents
11%25–50 mi19 residents
31%Over 50 mi53 residents

About 31% 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.

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 Trenton: questions

What is the median household income in Trenton?

$45,000 (±$14,357) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Trenton?

13.6%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Trenton?

25 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Trenton work?

13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are McCook (17%, 21 mi), Palisade (5%, 13 mi), Culbertson (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Trenton without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

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

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Trenton

Trenton 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.