Photo: Nyttend · Public domainJobs, income and commuting in Mount Sterling, OH
A typical one-way commute lasts 28 minutes, next to 23 for Ohio and 26 for the U.S. The two grades for Mount Sterling are B− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Only 7% stay in Mount Sterling for work; outside it, Columbus is the main destination (29%, 24 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Mount Sterling apart
Mount Sterling makes and builds things
69% of the jobs based in Mount Sterling are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Mount Sterling residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 22%. The jobs ↓
29% of Mount Sterling works in Columbus
269 working residents, 29%, have their main job in Columbus, 24 miles away. That’s 4 times as many as work in Mount Sterling itself. The commute map ↓
Mount Sterling has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Mount Sterling went from 387 in 2013 to 637 in 2023, +65%. The jobs ↓
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 914 working residents, small shifts move the shares; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Mount Sterling
On income, poverty and job access, Mount Sterling is better than 53% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Mount Sterling’s grade up (ahead of 73% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.5%, U.S. 12.5%).
Unemployment (4.8%) is left out: Mount Sterling’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Mount Sterling could be anywhere from C to A.
In Mount Sterling, 69% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
637 jobs are based in Mount Sterling.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Mount Sterling, 2013 → 2023: 387 → 637. 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 Mount Sterling’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where people from Mount Sterling work
Where Mount Sterling clocks in
29% of workers
5% 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.
In and out of Mount Sterling on a workday
On a workday 849 residents head out to work, 65 work right here, and 572 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in Mount Sterling on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.70 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.
How long Mount Sterling spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Mount Sterling workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 752 commuters (the 8% 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.
How many miles Mount Sterling 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.
Most of Mount Sterling commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Mount Sterling is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Mount Sterling 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 813 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). 3.9% of Mount Sterling households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Mount Sterling’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Mount Sterling is 2,172nd among 5,793 U.S. towns of 1,400 to 2,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | New California OH | 1,672 | $162K | 0.0% | 1.1% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | Jersey Township OH | 2,678 | $136K | 2.4% | 1.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Silver Lake OH | 2,504 | $140K | 2.9% | 1.4% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,170 | Kent Acres DE | 2,388 | $92K | 14.2% | 4.5% | 1% | B− |
| 2,171 | Brookville IN | 2,663 | $56K | 8.7% | 0.0% | 16% | B− |
| 2,172 | Mount Sterling OH | 2,051 | $73K | 12.5% | 4.8% | 7% | B− |
| 2,173 | Naples UT | 2,488 | $98K | 3.1% | 6.3% | 7% | B− |
| 2,174 | Union Township OH | 1,947 | $67K | 1.5% | 3.2% | <1% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,793 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Mount Sterling, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
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 Mount Sterling: questions
What is the median household income in Mount Sterling?
$72,692 (±$16,301) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Mount Sterling?
12.5%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Mount Sterling?
28 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Mount Sterling work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbus (29%, 24 mi), London (5%, 15 mi), Grove City (4%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Mount Sterling walkable?
Mount Sterling is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.1 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Mount Sterling without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Mount Sterling, from the people who make the trip.
More of Mount Sterling
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.