Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0At 5.7%, unemployment in Mesquite is higher than in 71% of U.S. towns
Commuters spend 19 minutes getting to work on average, against 25 across Nevada and 26 nationally. The two grades for Mesquite are C for jobs and income and A− for walkability. More than half work in Mesquite; the top destination outside it is Las Vegas (11%, 75 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Mesquite apart
Most jobs in Mesquite go to people who live here
Of the 5,985 jobs based in Mesquite, 63% are held by Mesquite residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Mesquite’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Mesquite is Las Vegas, 75 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (732) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
41% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Commutes from Mesquite are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 25 across Nevada. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Nevada 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Mesquite
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Mesquite is better than 28% of U.S. towns, #34 of 42 in Nevada. Household income holds Mesquite’s grade up ($75,227, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 13% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Mesquite could be anywhere from C− to B−.
A workday in Mesquite: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 3,061 residents head out to work, 3,750 work right here, and 2,235 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 (0.88 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 in the region Mesquite works
About 41% 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.
About 19 minutes to work from Mesquite
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Mesquite workers work from home, vs 12% across Nevada. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,005 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Nevada: 80% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where Mesquite goes to work
Where Mesquite clocks in
11% of workers
6% of workers
4% 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.
The 5,985 jobs based in Mesquite
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Mesquite, 2013 → 2023: 4,952 → 5,985. 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 Mesquite’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Mesquite, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Mesquite is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns, #22 of 42 in Nevada. Both inputs place Mesquite near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,684 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.3% of Mesquite households have no vehicle (Nevada 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Mesquite’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Mesquite ranks: 1,333rd of 1,577 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 32,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 174 | Summerlin South NV | 31,354 | $117K | 4.8% | 3.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 355 | Spanish Springs NV | 17,980 | $128K | 2.9% | 2.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,254 | Sun Valley NV | 22,228 | $77K | 16.8% | 6.7% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,331 | Marquette MI | 21,944 | $56K | 22.4% | 4.3% | 56% | C |
| 1,332 | Ottumwa IA | 25,319 | $61K | 17.2% | 4.6% | 49% | C |
| 1,333 | Mesquite NV | 24,001 | $75K | 10.6% | 5.7% | 55% | C |
| 1,334 | Whitehall OH | 19,805 | $52K | 16.4% | 8.8% | 5% | C |
| 1,335 | Jacksonville IL | 17,752 | $65K | 18.5% | 5.1% | 41% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,577 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Mesquite, the top three, the last and three more from Nevada.
Mesquite and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Mesquite workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesquite | – | C | A− | 19 min | $75,227 |
| Bunkerville | under 1% | — | — | 10 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Bunkerville: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Mesquite’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 Mesquite: questions
What is the median household income in Mesquite?
$75,227 (±$5,066) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,260 across Nevada and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Mesquite?
10.6%, against 12.4% across Nevada and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Mesquite?
19 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Nevada and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Mesquite work?
55% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Las Vegas (11%, 75 mi), Paradise (6%, 75 mi), Henderson (4%, 75 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Mesquite walkable?
Mesquite is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Mesquite without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Mesquite, from the people who make the trip.
More of Mesquite
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.