US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River · Photo: Scott5114 · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Lexington have lower incomes than those in 91% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Lexington are C− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. 25.7% of residents live below the poverty line, against 15.3% across Oklahoma. About one in ten work in Lexington itself; outside it, Oklahoma City draws the most (28%, 33 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Lexington and work: the main findings
28% of Lexington works in Oklahoma City
194 working residents, 28%, have their main job in Oklahoma City, 33 miles away. That’s 3 times as many as work in Lexington itself. The commute map ↓
Lexington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 22 across Oklahoma. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 61 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 683 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The figures behind Lexington’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty and job access, Lexington is better than 17% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Lexington’s grade up (ahead of 62% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
Unemployment (5.5%) is left out: Lexington’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, Lexington could be anywhere from D to B−.
Commuting out of Lexington: the destinations
Where Lexington clocks in
28% of workers
9% 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.
About 30 minutes each way, longer than most of Oklahoma
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lexington workers work from home, vs 9% across Oklahoma. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 692 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Oklahoma: 85% 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.
Lexington on a workday afternoon
On a workday 617 residents head out to work, 66 work right here, and 379 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in Lexington on a workday afternoon, 12% fewer than live here.
0.65 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.
In Lexington, services account for most jobs
445 jobs are based in Lexington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lexington, 2013 → 2023: 463 → 445. 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 Lexington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Lexington
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 Lexington, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lexington is more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.5% across Oklahoma.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 719 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). 6.2% of Lexington households have no vehicle (Oklahoma 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Lexington’s commuters take a bus or train.
Lexington places 4,468th of 5,793 on jobs and income among 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,011 | Justice OK | 1,530 | $98K | 7.5% | 2.7% | 1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,323 | Kiefer OK | 2,310 | $83K | 10.4% | 3.0% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,324 | Union City OK | 2,129 | $106K | 11.5% | 2.9% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,466 | Henderson Township PA | 1,889 | $59K | 13.4% | 4.5% | 4% | C− |
| 4,467 | Davisboro GA | 1,826 | $49K | 9.1% | 9.2% | 1% | C− |
| 4,468 | Lexington OK | 2,046 | $47K | 25.7% | 5.5% | 10% | C− |
| 4,469 | Anson ME | 2,333 | $52K | 8.8% | 3.8% | 13% | C− |
| 4,470 | Colfax Township MI | 1,704 | $69K | 17.3% | 4.9% | 11% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 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 Lexington, the top three, the last and three more from Oklahoma.
Around Lexington: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Purcell (9%).
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Lexington’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 Lexington: questions
What is the median household income in Lexington?
$46,932 (±$22,843) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $65,039 across Oklahoma and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lexington?
25.7%, against 15.3% across Oklahoma and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lexington?
30 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Oklahoma and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lexington work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oklahoma City (28%, 33 mi), Norman (18%, 15 mi), Purcell (9%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Lexington walkable?
Lexington is more walkable than 36% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lexington 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 Lexington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lexington
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.