Wilson has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
For 19% of workers, the job is at home; Oklahoma has 9%. 221 jobs are based in Wilson, and 539 of its residents work somewhere. Wilson grades D for jobs and income and B for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Wilson, in brief
One in three of Wilson works in Ardmore
173 working residents, 32%, have their main job in Ardmore, 17 miles away. That’s 5 times as many as work in Wilson itself. The commute map ↓
Wilson workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 22 across Oklahoma. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 84 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
34% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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 539 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The figures behind Wilson’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty and job access, Wilson is better than 12% of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Wilson’s grade.
Unemployment (2.9%) is left out: Wilson’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Wilson could be anywhere from D− to C.
32% of working residents work in Ardmore
Where Wilson clocks in
32% of workers
7% of workers
4% 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 trip to work from Wilson: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wilson workers work from home, vs 9% across Oklahoma. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 568 commuters (the 19% 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.
The commute from Wilson, by distance
About 34% 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.
In and out of Wilson on a workday
On a workday 499 residents head out to work, 40 work right here, and 181 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Wilson on a workday afternoon, 22% 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.
Jobs in Wilson: what the 221 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wilson, 2013 → 2023: 199 → 221. 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 Wilson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Driving is how Wilson gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Wilson is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Wilson near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 703 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). 5.7% of Wilson households have no vehicle (Oklahoma 5.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Wilson’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Wilson is 4,648th of 5,877 U.S. towns of 1,000 to 1,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Forest Park OK | 1,035 | $104K | 0.4% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 812 | Justice OK | 1,530 | $98K | 7.5% | 2.7% | 1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,417 | Oologah OK | 1,358 | $80K | 9.4% | 7.6% | 5% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 4,646 | Anderson Island WA | 1,448 | $80K | 23.1% | 0.0% | 4% | D |
| 4,647 | Kentland IN | 1,631 | $60K | 14.4% | 20.1% | 22% | D |
| 4,648 | Wilson OK | 1,439 | $61K | 17.4% | 2.9% | 7% | D |
| 4,649 | Rutledge TN | 1,411 | $50K | 24.8% | 7.8% | 10% | D |
| 4,650 | Hemphill TX | 1,027 | $67K | 16.6% | 11.3% | 23% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 5,877 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | 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 Wilson, the top three, the last and three more from Oklahoma.
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 Wilson: questions
What is the median household income in Wilson?
$60,625 (±$16,889) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $65,039 across Oklahoma and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wilson?
17.4%, against 15.3% across Oklahoma and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wilson?
33 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Oklahoma and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wilson work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ardmore (32%, 17 mi), Oklahoma City (7%, 90 mi), Healdton (4%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Wilson walkable?
Wilson is more walkable than 64% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.9 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Wilson 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 Wilson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wilson
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.