Jobs and earnings in Panama, and the trip to work
Home is the office for 5% of workers, next to 15% for New York as a whole. Only 6% work in Panama itself; outside it, Jamestown draws the most (14%, 13 miles). Commuters spend 24 minutes getting to work on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Panama apart
The daily trip from Panama: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Panama workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 215 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% 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 Panama for work, and who comes in
On a workday 190 residents head out to work, 13 work right here, and 155 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 (0.83 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 the trip to work from Panama ends
Where Panama clocks in
14% 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.
In Panama, services account for most jobs
168 jobs are based in Panama.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Panama, 2013 → 2023: 137 → 168. 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 Panama’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Panama, by distance
About 25% 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.
The towns next door employ 12% of Panama
The biggest share goes to Harmony (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Panama workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | – | — | — | 24 min | $60,865 |
| Harmony | 9% | B− | D | 26 min | $58,600 |
| North Harmony | 3% | C+ | B | 20 min | $71,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Panama’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 Panama: questions
What is the median household income in Panama?
$60,865 (±$7,884) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Panama?
12.9%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Panama?
24 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Panama work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Jamestown (14%, 13 mi), Busti (9%, 8 mi), Harmony (9%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Panama 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 Panama, from the people who make the trip.
More of Panama
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.