Most of Oberlin commutes out: there are 0.3 jobs for every working resident
A typical one-way commute lasts 29 minutes, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. Employers in Oberlin report 87 jobs, and 274 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any work in Oberlin; the top destination outside it is Harrisburg (14%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Oberlin apart on work
Most Oberlin residents work close to home
69% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Oberlin’s working residents have a job less than 6 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 29 minutes, longer than the Pennsylvania average of 26. 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 274 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How far it is to work from Oberlin
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.
A commute of about 29 minutes in Oberlin
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oberlin workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 111 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.
Oberlin quiets down on a workday
On a workday 274 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 87 people come in from elsewhere.
About 82 people are in Oberlin on a workday afternoon, 70% 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.
Where Oberlin’s working residents head each day
Where Oberlin clocks in
14% of workers
7% 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.
In Oberlin, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oberlin, 2013 → 2023: 109 → 87. 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 Oberlin’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Oberlin
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oberlin workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin | – | — | — | 29 min | $125,809 |
| Enhaut | under 3% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Bressler | under 3% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Enhaut and Bressler: 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 Oberlin’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 Oberlin: questions
What is the median household income in Oberlin?
$125,809 (±$45,597) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oberlin?
0.0%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oberlin?
29 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oberlin work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Harrisburg (14%, 4 mi), Swatara Township (12%, 1 mi), Derry Township (7%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Oberlin without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oberlin, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oberlin
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.