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Holloway's StationHolloway's Station · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0
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Jobs & commute in Red Oak

Where Red Oak earns its living

Only 5% work in Red Oak itself; outside it, Wilburton draws the most (16%, 13 miles). 2% of workers work from home, next to 9% for Oklahoma as a whole. The average commute takes 26 minutes each way, against 22 across Oklahoma and 26 nationally.

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

Red Oak on a workday afternoon

On a workday 158 residents head out to work, 9 work right here, and 101 people come in from elsewhere.

158live here, work elsewhere
9live and work here
101work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night540
Workday480
540live here− 160head out to work+ 100come in to work= 480on a workday

About 480 people are in Red Oak on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.66jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

0.66 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.

The commute map

The towns that employ Red Oak’s residents

Fort Smith: 4 residents work here (2%)Talihina: 4 residents work here (2%)McCurtainRed OakStigler: 8 residents work here (5%)Wilburton: 26 residents work here (16%)HoldenvilleHugo: 3 residents work here (2%)FanshaweMuskogeeDurant: 5 residents work here (3%)Poteau: 13 residents work here (8%)StillwaterTulsa: 4 residents work here (2%)Oklahoma City: 11 residents work here (7%)PanolaWilburtonPoteauOklahoma CityStiglerDurantFort SmithRed Oak
1
Wilburton12.9 mi away
16%26
2
Poteau27.7 mi away
8%13
3
Oklahoma City142 mi away
7%11
4
Red Oak (in town)right here
5%9
5
Stigler21.4 mi away
5%8
6
Durant99.8 mi away
3%5
7
Fort Smith, AR48.6 mi away
2%4
8
Talihina13.9 mi away
2%4
9
Tulsa93.5 mi away
2%4
10
Hugo69.5 mi away
2%3
Everywhere elseother towns and states
48%80
The top trips

Where Red Oak clocks in

Lines 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 jobs

Inside Red Oak’s 110 jobs

110 jobs are based in Red Oak.

Jobs based in Red OakJobs Red Oak residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms2%17%
Trade, transport & utilities35%17%
Services: health, schools, offices63%65%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less14%14%
$1,251–$3,333 a month44%45%
Over $3,333 a month43%41%

Who does it

29 or younger20%26%
30 to 5460%53%
55 and older20%20%
−20%

Jobs based in Red Oak, 2013 → 2023: 137 → 110. 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 Red Oak’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

Red Oak’s commute takes about 26 minutes

A year of commuting
196 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Red Oak26 min
Oklahoma22 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
2%

of Red Oak workers work from home, vs 9% across Oklahoma. Their commute is the hallway.

About 0 in 10
How Red Oak gets to work
90%Drive alone
10%Carpool

Share of the 127 commuters (the 2% 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.

How far

Near or far: the trip to work from Red Oak

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miWilburton: 16% · 12.9 miPoteau: 8% · 27.7 miOklahoma City: 7% · 142 miStigler: 5% · 21.4 miDurant: 3% · 99.8 miFort Smith: 2% · 48.6 miTalihina: 2% · 13.9 miTulsa: 2% · 93.5 miHugo: 2% · 69.5 miWilburton 16%Poteau 8%Oklahoma City 7%Stigler 5%Durant 3%Red Oak
Red OakTop destinations (size = commuters)
8%Under 10 mi14 residents
37%10–24 mi62 residents
15%25–50 mi25 residents
39%Over 50 mi65 residents

About 39% 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 to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Red Oak: questions

What is the median household income in Red Oak?

$35,463 (±$3,554) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $65,039 across Oklahoma and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Red Oak?

29.1%, against 15.3% across Oklahoma and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Red Oak?

26 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Oklahoma and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Red Oak work?

5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wilburton (16%, 13 mi), Poteau (8%, 28 mi), Oklahoma City (7%, 142 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Red Oak without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Red Oak, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Red Oak

Red Oak home →

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.