Cochran, Philip G., Memorial United Methodist Church · Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Dawson works elsewhere
Hardly any stay in Dawson for work; outside it, Connellsville is the main destination (8%, 4 miles). 7 jobs are based in Dawson, against 125 working residents. Working from home is the commute for 10% of workers; Pennsylvania has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Dawson
On a workday 124 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 6 people come in from elsewhere.
About 220 people are in Dawson on a workday afternoon, 35% 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.
The places Dawson commutes to
Where Dawson clocks in
8% of workers
6% 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 kinds of work in Dawson
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dawson, 2013 → 2023: 24 → 7. 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 Dawson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 22 minutes to work from Dawson
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dawson workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 114 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Pennsylvania: 81% drive alone, 4% 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 Dawson, by distance
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 Dawson compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Dunbar Township (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dawson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson | – | — | — | 22 min | $48,929 |
| Lower Tyrone Township | under 3% | B | B− | 29 min | $74,792 |
| Dunbar Township | 6% | C | C− | 25 min | $60,917 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Dawson’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 Dawson: questions
What is the median household income in Dawson?
$48,929 (±$24,419) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dawson?
30.7%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dawson?
22 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dawson work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Connellsville (8%, 4 mi), East Huntingdon Township (6%, 7 mi), Dunbar Township (6%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Dawson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dawson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dawson
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.