Lost City has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Hardly any stay in Lost City for work; outside it, Tahlequah is the main destination (22%, 10 miles). Employers in Lost City report 27 jobs, and 276 of its residents work somewhere. A typical one-way commute from Lost City lasts 37 minutes (Oklahoma 22, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Lost City
Lost City is a place people come home to
There are 27 jobs based in Lost City, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Lost City has about 600 people in it, 29% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Lost City workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 22 across Oklahoma. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 115 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 276 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
A workday in Lost City: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 276 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 27 people come in from elsewhere.
About 600 people are in Lost City on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer 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.
About 37 minutes each way for Lost City’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lost City workers work from home, vs 9% across Oklahoma. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 271 commuters (the 11% 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.
Out of Lost City to work: where people go
Where Lost City clocks in
22% of workers
12% of workers
10% 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.
Lost City works in goods: 96% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lost City, 2013 → 2023: 16 → 27. 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 Lost City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Lost City
About 18% 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.
How Lost City compares with the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lost City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost City | – | — | — | 37 min | $64,375 |
| Gideon | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Gideon: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lost City’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 Lost City: questions
What is the median household income in Lost City?
$64,375 (±$19,030) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $65,039 across Oklahoma and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lost City?
6.8%, against 15.3% across Oklahoma and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lost City?
37 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Oklahoma and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lost City work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tahlequah (22%, 10 mi), Tulsa (12%, 44 mi), Muskogee (10%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lost City without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lost City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lost City
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.