Crystal at work: jobs, income and the commute
Crystal has 36 working residents in the Census job records, and no jobs of its own there. Hardly any work in Crystal; the top destination outside it is St. Michaels (19%, 26 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 29 minutes, where New Mexico has 24 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Crystal on a workday
On a workday 36 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.
About 250 people are in Crystal on a workday afternoon, 13% 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.
The towns that employ Crystal’s residents
Where Crystal clocks in
11% of workers
8% 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.
About 29 minutes each way, longer than most of New Mexico
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Crystal workers work from home, vs 12% across New Mexico. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 85 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across New Mexico: 84% 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 it is to work from Crystal
About 54% 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.
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 Crystal: questions
What is the median household income in Crystal?
$43,125 (±$23,788) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $64,059 across New Mexico and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Crystal?
33.8%, against 17.8% across New Mexico and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Crystal?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across New Mexico and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Crystal work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Michaels (19%, 26 mi), Gallup (11%, 38 mi), Albuquerque (8%, 146 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Crystal 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 Crystal, from the people who make the trip.
More of Crystal
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.