Photo: Nyttend · Public domainHousehold incomes in Lima are lower than in 92% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Lima D; getting around on foot earns it B+. 23.9% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 13.3% for Ohio as a whole. For 3% of workers, the job is at home, against 13% across Ohio.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Lima, in brief
A lot of Lima works one town over
25% of working residents work in a town that borders Lima: American Township (9%), Bath Township (8%) and Shawnee Township (4%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Lima are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 23 across Ohio. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Ohio worker. Time on the road ↓
Few Lima workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 13% across Ohio. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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.
The four measures behind Lima’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lima is better than 12% of U.S. towns, #944 of 992 in Ohio. Job access by car holds Lima’s grade up (ahead of 61% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($46,240, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Lima could be anywhere from D to C−.
The trip to work from Lima: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lima workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,948 commuters (the 3% 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.
Who works in Lima, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 9,914 residents head out to work, 3,708 work right here, and 14,800 people come in from elsewhere.
About 40,000 people are in Lima on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.36 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.
9% of working residents work in American Township
Where Lima clocks in
9% of workers
8% 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.
Inside Lima’s 18,508 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lima, 2013 → 2023: 15,921 → 18,508. 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 Lima’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Lima
About 23% 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.
Most of Lima commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lima is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns, #159 of 993 in Ohio. Both inputs place Lima 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 14,346 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). 13.5% of Lima households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Lima’s commuters take a bus or train.
Lima and other U.S. towns of 24,000 to 47,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Genoa Township OH | 27,720 | $177K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,253 | Texarkana AR | 29,123 | $46K | 25.8% | 7.5% | 27% | D |
| 1,254 | El Centro CA | 44,382 | $53K | 21.6% | 9.9% | 34% | D |
| 1,255 | Lima OH | 34,695 | $46K | 23.9% | 8.5% | 27% | D |
| 1,256 | Ponca City OK | 24,225 | $56K | 17.9% | 6.9% | 39% | D |
| 1,257 | Parkersburg WV | 28,593 | $49K | 22.5% | 7.9% | 36% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 1,287 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Lima, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Work next door: 25% of Lima’s workers
The biggest share goes to American Township (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lima workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | – | D | B+ | 17 min | $46,240 |
| American Township | 9% | C+ | C | 18 min | $65,407 |
| Bath Township | 8% | C+ | C+ | 17 min | $62,500 |
| Shawnee Township | 4% | A− | D | 17 min | $92,758 |
| Perry Township | 4% | C− | D | 19 min | $53,371 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lima’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 Lima: questions
What is the median household income in Lima?
$46,240 (±$2,710) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lima?
23.9%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lima?
17 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lima work?
27% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are American Township (9%, 4 mi), Bath Township (8%, 5 mi), Shawnee Township (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Lima walkable?
Lima is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lima without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lima, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lima
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.