Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA job hub: West Jefferson has 3.8 jobs per working resident, and 7,957 people come in to work
Employers in West Jefferson report 8,125 jobs; 2,113 of its residents have a job. The two grades for West Jefferson are B+ for jobs and income and D for walkability. Only 8% work in West Jefferson; the top destination outside it is Columbus (36%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from West Jefferson, in brief
West Jefferson fills up on a workday
West Jefferson has 8,125 jobs, 3.9 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 12,000 people are in town, more than double the 5,800 who live here. Day and night ↓
Jobs in West Jefferson have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in West Jefferson went from 2,338 in 2013 to 8,125 in 2023, +248%. The jobs ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
70% of the jobs in West Jefferson are in trade, transport and utilities, against 23% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
West Jefferson and Columbus trade workers both ways
Columbus is the top workplace for West Jefferson residents (36%) and also where the most people who work in West Jefferson come from (32% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The biggest group of West Jefferson’s workers comes from Columbus
2,633 of the people who work in West Jefferson live in Columbus, 18 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
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.
West Jefferson’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, West Jefferson is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #366 of 992 in Ohio. Unemployment holds West Jefferson’s grade up (2.1%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($64,136, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, West Jefferson could be anywhere from B− to A.
The daily flow of workers through West Jefferson
On a workday 1,945 residents head out to work and 168 work right here.
About 12,000 people are in West Jefferson on a workday afternoon, 103% more than live here.
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 kinds of work in West Jefferson
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Jefferson, 2013 → 2023: 2,338 → 8,125. 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 West Jefferson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where West Jefferson’s workers come from
Where West Jefferson clocks in
36% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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 daily trip from West Jefferson: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Jefferson workers work from home, vs 13% across Ohio. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,000 commuters (the 9% 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.
The commute from West Jefferson, by distance
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 commute in West Jefferson is mostly behind the wheel
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,202 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). 4.0% of West Jefferson households have no vehicle (Ohio 7.5%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of West Jefferson’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, West Jefferson is 1,143rd of 3,432 U.S. towns of 4,100 to 7,900
| # | 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 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | The Village of Indian Hill OH | 6,114 | $235K | 3.1% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Pepper Pike OH | 6,886 | $228K | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Independence OH | 7,456 | $116K | 2.4% | 1.5% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,141 | Pine Level AL | 4,170 | $93K | 5.9% | 3.8% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,142 | The Meadows FL | 5,492 | $70K | 11.9% | 0.9% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,143 | West Jefferson OH | 5,827 | $64K | 8.9% | 2.1% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,144 | Caledonia Township IL | 7,246 | $104K | 4.2% | 6.4% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,145 | Putnam Township MI | 7,797 | $96K | 12.3% | 2.4% | 5% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,432 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | 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 West Jefferson, the top three, the last and three more from Ohio.
Work in the towns next to West Jefferson
The biggest share goes to Jefferson Township (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Jefferson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Jefferson | – | B+ | D | 26 min | $64,136 |
| Jefferson Township | 1% | A− | C− | 24 min | $82,300 |
| Lake Darby | under 2% | A | D− | 23 min | $97,404 |
| Prairie Township | under 2% | A− | A− | 21 min | $73,793 |
| Brown Township | under 2% | A− | C− | 24 min | $133,542 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Jefferson’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 West Jefferson: questions
What is the median household income in West Jefferson?
$64,136 (±$6,396) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $71,389 across Ohio and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Jefferson?
8.9%, against 13.3% across Ohio and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Jefferson?
26 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Ohio and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Jefferson work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Columbus (36%, 18 mi), Dublin (4%, 14 mi), Hilliard (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is West Jefferson walkable?
West Jefferson is more walkable than 8% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Jefferson without a car?
0% 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 West Jefferson, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Jefferson
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.