York Public Library · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainUnemployment in York (1.7%) is lower than in 88% of U.S. towns
A typical one-way commute from York lasts 10 minutes (Nebraska 19, U.S. 26). For jobs and income York is better than 46% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns (A−). About half work in York; the top destination outside it is Lincoln (11%, 48 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set York apart
York’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside York is Lincoln, 48 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (415) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from York are quick
The average trip to work takes 10 minutes, against 19 across Nebraska. That’s about 69 hours a year less on the road than the typical Nebraska worker. 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.
Inside York’s Jobs & income grade
Unemployment holds York’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 28% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, York could be anywhere from C to B.
York’s commute, mile by mile
About 18% 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.
York’s commute takes about 10 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of York workers work from home, vs 11% across Nebraska. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,722 commuters (the 7% 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.
Who leaves York for work, and who comes in
On a workday 2,008 residents head out to work, 1,785 work right here, and 3,207 people come in from elsewhere.
About 9,500 people are in York on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.32 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.
Where York goes to work
Where York clocks in
11% of workers
6% 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.
Jobs in York: what the 4,992 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in York, 2013 → 2023: 5,006 → 4,992. 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 York’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In York, walking beats the bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,981 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). 9.5% of York households have no vehicle (Nebraska 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of York’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, York is 1,860th of 3,012 U.S. towns of 5,800 to 11,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 95 | Gretna NE | 9,207 | $124K | 4.2% | 0.6% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 325 | Chalco NE | 10,595 | $86K | 4.8% | 1.4% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 583 | Ralston NE | 6,382 | $69K | 4.0% | 2.2% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,858 | Abilene KS | 6,552 | $58K | 6.8% | 3.2% | 37% | B− |
| 1,859 | Harrisonville MO | 10,040 | $62K | 7.2% | 6.2% | 19% | B− |
| 1,860 | York NE | 8,284 | $63K | 11.5% | 1.7% | 47% | B− |
| 1,861 | Dalton Township MI | 9,651 | $82K | 8.6% | 6.5% | 3% | B− |
| 1,862 | Fishhook AK | 5,819 | $111K | 9.2% | 4.5% | — | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,012 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 York, 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 York: questions
What is the median household income in York?
$63,265 (±$9,181) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,475 across Nebraska and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in York?
11.5%, against 10.6% across Nebraska and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from York?
10 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Nebraska and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in York work?
47% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lincoln (11%, 48 mi), Omaha (6%, 85 mi), Grand Island (3%, 40 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is York walkable?
York is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.9 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around York without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from York, from the people who make the trip.
More of York
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.