Photo: Nyttend · Public domainOakland has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Commuters spend 16 minutes getting to work on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. There are 359 jobs in Oakland, against 657 working residents. Only 2% stay in Oakland for work; outside it, Richland Township is the main destination (16%, 2 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Oakland
A lot of Oakland works one town over
33% of working residents work in a town that borders Oakland: Richland Township (16%), Johnstown (13%) and Geistown (4%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Oakland are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 26 across Pennsylvania. That’s about 77 hours a year less on the road than the typical Pennsylvania worker. Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in Oakland pay little
28% of the jobs based in Oakland pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 657 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
A commute of about 16 minutes in Oakland
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oakland workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 722 commuters (the 13% 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.
What Oakland’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oakland, 2014 → 2024: 312 → 359. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Oakland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Oakland by day and by night
On a workday 643 residents head out to work, 14 work right here, and 345 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,300 people are in Oakland on a workday afternoon, 18% 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 2024, primary jobs.
Out of Oakland to work: where people go
Where Oakland clocks in
16% of workers
13% 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.
How far it is to work from Oakland
About 24% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Bordering towns draw 33% of Oakland’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oakland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland | – | — | — | 16 min | $61,483 |
| Johnstown | 13% | D | A | 20 min | $37,888 |
| Geistown | 4% | B− | B | 19 min | $63,958 |
| Belmont | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Lorain | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Richland Township | 16% | C+ | B+ | 17 min | $73,209 |
Same-state neighbors only. Belmont: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Lorain: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Richland Township. Darker towns draw more of Oakland’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 2024, 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 Oakland: questions
What is the median household income in Oakland?
$61,483 (±$6,665) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oakland?
10.7%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oakland?
16 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oakland work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Richland Township (16%, 2 mi), Johnstown (13%, 2 mi), Geistown (4%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Oakland without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oakland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oakland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.