West Point City Auditorium · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainUnemployment in West Point (0.8%) is lower than in 96% of U.S. towns
About two in five work in West Point; the top destination outside it is Omaha (9%, 52 miles). For jobs and income West Point is better than 54% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns (B). A typical one-way commute lasts 16 minutes, where Nebraska has 19 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: West Point in brief
Where West Point’s Jobs & income grade comes from
Unemployment holds West Point’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 13% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Point could be anywhere from C+ to B+.
The commute from West Point, by distance
About 21% 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.
A workday in West Point: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 1,016 residents head out to work, 648 work right here, and 1,224 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 (1.13 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.
Commuting out of West Point: the destinations
Where West Point clocks in
9% 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.
Inside West Point’s 1,872 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Point, 2013 → 2023: 2,021 → 1,872. 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 West Point’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long West Point spends getting to work: about 16 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Point workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,631 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.
For most of West Point, work means a drive
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.5% across Nebraska.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,737 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). 5.6% of West Point households have no vehicle (Nebraska 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Point’s commuters take a bus or train.
2,040th of 4,402: where West Point ranks among U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 84 | Waverly NE | 4,533 | $112K | 0.5% | 0.0% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 207 | Township 2 NE | 3,213 | $116K | 4.0% | 1.5% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 309 | Valley NE | 3,412 | $110K | 5.3% | 2.1% | 14% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,038 | Geneva NY | 3,564 | $83K | 13.7% | 2.5% | 9% | B− |
| 2,039 | Tipton IA | 3,060 | $61K | 12.3% | 1.0% | 27% | B− |
| 2,040 | West Point NE | 3,411 | $66K | 7.4% | 0.8% | 39% | B− |
| 2,041 | Salisbury CT | 4,290 | $124K | 4.2% | 6.8% | 36% | B− |
| 2,042 | Edenville Township MI | 2,495 | $71K | 11.9% | 1.0% | <1% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,402 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 West Point, the top three, the last and three more from Nebraska.
The towns around West Point
The biggest share goes to Sherman Township (5%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Point workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Point | – | B− | B | 16 min | $65,793 |
| Sherman Township | 5% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Sherman Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Point’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
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 West Point: questions
What is the median household income in West Point?
$65,793 (±$6,720) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Point?
7.4%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Point?
16 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Point work?
39% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Omaha (9%, 52 mi), Sherman Township (5%, 4 mi), Fremont (3%, 30 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Point walkable?
West Point is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Point without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Point, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Point
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.