At 1.2%, unemployment in Noble is lower than in 93% of U.S. towns
Noble grades B+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. About one in ten work in Noble; the top destination outside it is Oklahoma City (31%, 24 miles). The average commute takes 29 minutes each way; Oklahoma averages 22, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Noble: the gist
Noble workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 22 across Oklahoma. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
31% of Noble works in Oklahoma City
915 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Oklahoma City, 24 miles away. That’s 3 times as many as work in Noble itself. 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.
Why Noble gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Noble is better than 73% of U.S. towns, #11 of 131 in Oklahoma. Unemployment holds Noble’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (10.8%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Noble could be anywhere from B− to A.
How long Noble spends getting to work: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Noble workers work from home, vs 9% across Oklahoma. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,277 commuters (the 7% 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.
Where the trip to work from Noble ends
Where Noble clocks in
31% 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 Noble on a workday
On a workday 2,668 residents head out to work, 292 work right here, and 1,033 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,100 people are in Noble on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.45 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.
What work there is in Noble: 1,325 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Noble, 2013 → 2023: 1,303 → 1,325. 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 Noble’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Noble 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.
The commute in Noble is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Noble is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns, #119 of 131 in Oklahoma. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any 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 3,529 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). 4.0% of Noble households have no vehicle (Oklahoma 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Noble’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,091 U.S. towns of 5,400 to 10,500, Noble comes 1,026th 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 464 | Piedmont OK | 9,427 | $104K | 2.6% | 3.3% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 744 | Verdigris OK | 5,888 | $84K | 6.8% | 2.3% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 919 | Tuttle OK | 8,708 | $104K | 5.3% | 4.8% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,024 | Odessa FL | 8,381 | $118K | 3.9% | 8.4% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,025 | Chillicothe IL | 6,033 | $66K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 16% | B+ |
| 1,026 | Noble OK | 7,748 | $82K | 10.8% | 1.2% | 10% | B+ |
| 1,027 | Mission KS | 10,125 | $76K | 9.7% | 3.2% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,028 | Bonner Springs KS | 7,962 | $83K | 12.4% | 2.5% | 10% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,091 | 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 Noble, the top three, the last and three more from Oklahoma.
27% of Noble works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Norman (26%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Noble workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble | – | B+ | C− | 29 min | $81,739 |
| Slaughterville | 1% | C | D− | 31 min | $72,944 |
| Norman | 26% | C+ | A | 23 min | $67,704 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Noble’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 Noble: questions
What is the median household income in Noble?
$81,739 (±$20,063) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $65,039 across Oklahoma and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Noble?
10.8%, against 15.3% across Oklahoma and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Noble?
29 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Oklahoma and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Noble work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oklahoma City (31%, 24 mi), Norman (26%, 7 mi), Moore (4%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Noble walkable?
Noble is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Noble without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Noble, from the people who make the trip.
More of Noble
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.