Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0Obetz has higher unemployment (8.3%) than 89% of U.S. towns
Only 5% work in Obetz itself; outside it, Columbus draws the most (49%, 9 miles). Jobs and income earn Obetz B−; getting around on foot earns it C+. Commuters spend 20 minutes getting to work on average; the Ohio average is 23, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Obetz
Obetz fills up on a workday
Obetz has 13,188 jobs, 5.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 18,000 people are in town, more than double the 7,300 who live here. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
78% of the jobs in Obetz are in trade, transport and utilities, against 27% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Jobs in Obetz have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Obetz went from 5,324 in 2013 to 13,188 in 2023, +148%. The jobs ↓
Much of Obetz works one town over
55% of working residents work in a town that borders Obetz: Columbus (49%), Groveport (5%) and Hamilton Township (1%). Next door ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How Obetz earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Obetz is better than 46% of U.S. towns, #664 of 992 in Ohio. Job access by car holds Obetz’s grade up (ahead of 90% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Obetz could be anywhere from C to A−.
In and out of Obetz on a workday
On a workday 2,406 residents head out to work, 124 work right here, and 13,064 people come in from elsewhere.
About 18,000 people are in Obetz on a workday afternoon, 145% more than live here.
5.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
The 13,188 jobs based in Obetz
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Obetz, 2013 → 2023: 5,324 → 13,188. 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 Obetz’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where Obetz’s workforce comes from
Where Obetz clocks in
49% 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.
Time on the road from Obetz: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Obetz workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,809 commuters (the 12% 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 Obetz 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.
Obetz is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Obetz is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns, #508 of 993 in Ohio. Both inputs place Obetz 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 3,180 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 31% 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 2.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 70% 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). 6.5% of Obetz households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Obetz’s commuters take a bus or train.
Obetz next to U.S. towns of 5,100 to 9,900: 1,957th of 3,154 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Madeira OH | 9,637 | $168K | 2.5% | 1.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 26 | The Village of Indian Hill OH | 6,114 | $235K | 3.1% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Pepper Pike OH | 6,886 | $228K | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,955 | Orange Park FL | 8,953 | $77K | 13.8% | 6.3% | 6% | B− |
| 1,956 | Clementon NJ | 5,744 | $63K | 10.8% | 7.0% | 3% | B− |
| 1,957 | Obetz OH | 7,342 | $87K | 17.4% | 8.3% | 5% | B− |
| 1,958 | Urbana Township IL | 7,450 | $63K | 16.7% | 3.3% | 2% | B− |
| 1,959 | Tuscumbia AL | 9,332 | $59K | 18.6% | 1.7% | 9% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,154 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Obetz, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
55% of Obetz works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Obetz workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obetz | – | B− | C+ | 20 min | $87,304 |
| Columbus | 49% | B− | A | 22 min | $66,082 |
| Hamilton Township | 1% | B− | B− | 21 min | $78,611 |
| Groveport | 5% | A− | B | 24 min | $93,586 |
| Madison Township | under 2% | B+ | B | 23 min | $89,239 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Columbus. Darker towns draw more of Obetz’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 Obetz: questions
What is the median household income in Obetz?
$87,304 (±$11,306) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Obetz?
17.4%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Obetz?
20 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Obetz work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbus (49%, 9 mi), Groveport (5%, 3 mi), Grove City (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Obetz walkable?
Obetz is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Obetz without a car?
1% 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 Obetz, from the people who make the trip.
More of Obetz
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.