Photo: Turover at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Galena are higher than in 93% of U.S. towns
Hardly any work in Galena itself; outside it, Columbus draws the most (43%, 18 miles). 15.6% of residents live below the poverty line (Ohio 13.3%). Galena grades A− for jobs and income and B for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Galena: the figures worth knowing
43% of Galena works in Columbus
213 working residents, 43%, have their main job in Columbus, 18 miles away. That’s far more as work in Galena itself. The commute map ↓
Galena workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 23 across Ohio. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical 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; with 498 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Galena
On income, poverty and job access, Galena is better than 76% of U.S. towns. Household income holds Galena’s grade up ($134,830, U.S. $80,734); the poverty rate pulls it down. It also does well on job access by car.
Unemployment (2.0%) is left out: Galena’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Galena could be anywhere from B to A+.
Where the trip to work from Galena ends
Where Galena clocks in
43% of workers
6% of workers
5% 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 trip to work from Galena: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Galena workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 704 commuters (the 19% who work from home are left out). Across Ohio: 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.
In and out of Galena on a workday
On a workday 497 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 297 people come in from elsewhere.
About 820 people are in Galena on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.60 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.
Goods jobs make up 41% of work in Galena
298 jobs are based in Galena.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Galena, 2013 → 2023: 152 → 298. 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 Galena’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Galena commutes
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.
In Galena, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Galena is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Galena 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 868 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). 5.6% of Galena households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Galena’s commuters take a bus or train.
Galena places 350th of 3,133 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 700 to 1,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Bratenahl OH | 1,396 | $138K | 4.4% | 0.8% | 1% | A+ |
| 35 | Sharon Center OH | 1,129 | $111K | 0.4% | 0.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 65 | Granville South OH | 1,146 | $131K | 4.5% | 0.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 348 | Okawville IL | 1,343 | $84K | 3.5% | 7.1% | 14% | A− |
| 349 | Humboldt WI | 1,286 | $93K | 6.6% | 2.3% | 2% | A− |
| 350 | Galena OH | 1,019 | $135K | 15.6% | 2.0% | <1% | A− |
| 351 | Friends Creek Township IL | 1,313 | $90K | 3.5% | 3.2% | 2% | A− |
| 352 | Woodland Township MN | 1,184 | $97K | 6.3% | 4.3% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,133 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | 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 Galena, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Next door to Galena
The biggest share goes to Sunbury (5%).
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Galena’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 Galena: questions
What is the median household income in Galena?
$134,830 (±$38,524) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Galena?
15.6%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Galena?
29 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Galena work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbus (43%, 18 mi), Westerville (6%, 7 mi), Sunbury (5%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Galena walkable?
Galena is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Galena without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Galena, from the people who make the trip.
More of Galena
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.