With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Lorain works elsewhere
Working residents average 18 minutes each way (Pennsylvania 26, U.S. 26). 26 jobs are based in Lorain, against 244 working residents. Hardly any stay in Lorain for work; outside it, Richland Township is the main destination (19%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Lorain and work: the main findings
Lorain is a place people come home to
There are 26 jobs based in Lorain, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Lorain has about 350 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Lorain are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 26 across Pennsylvania. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Pennsylvania 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 244 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Lorain by day and by night
On a workday 243 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 25 people come in from elsewhere.
About 350 people are in Lorain on a workday afternoon, 38% 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.
Getting to work from Lorain takes about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lorain workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 237 commuters (the 11% 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 places Lorain commutes to
Where Lorain clocks in
19% of workers
18% of workers
3% 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Lorain
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lorain, 2013 → 2023: 15 → 26. 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 Lorain’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Lorain’s commute, mile by mile
About 21% 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.
Next door is work for 21% of Lorain
The biggest share goes to Johnstown (18%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lorain workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorain | – | — | — | 18 min | $53,382 |
| Stonycreek Township | 3% | C+ | C | 18 min | $54,648 |
| Johnstown | 18% | D | A | 20 min | $37,888 |
| Oakland | under 2% | — | — | 16 min | — |
| Belmont | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Oakland and Belmont: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lorain’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 Lorain: questions
What is the median household income in Lorain?
$53,382 (±$7,974) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lorain?
17.3%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lorain?
18 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lorain work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Richland Township (19%, 3 mi), Johnstown (18%, 2 mi), Altoona (3%, 30 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lorain 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 Lorain, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lorain
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.