Photo: Canadian2006 · CC BY-SA 3.0Work and commuting in Penn
Employers in Penn report 149 jobs, and 207 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any stay in Penn for work; outside it, Hempfield Township is the main destination (10%, 4 miles). Commuters spend 30 minutes getting to work on average; Pennsylvania averages 26, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Penn
On a workday 206 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 148 people come in from elsewhere.
About 550 people are in Penn on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
0.72 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
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 Penn’s working residents head each day
Where Penn clocks in
8% 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.
The kinds of work in Penn
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Penn, 2013 → 2023: 108 → 149. 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 Penn’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Penn: about 30 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Penn workers work from home, vs 16% across Pennsylvania. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 227 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Penn
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.
23% of Penn works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Penn workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn | – | — | — | 30 min | $74,706 |
| Hempfield Township | 10% | B+ | C+ | 25 min | $82,705 |
| Penn Township | 7% | A | B− | 31 min | $113,086 |
| Jeannette | 6% | C | A− | 29 min | $49,188 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Hempfield Township. Darker towns draw more of Penn’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 Penn: questions
What is the median household income in Penn?
$74,706 (±$3,194) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,971 across Pennsylvania and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Penn?
12.3%, against 11.7% across Pennsylvania and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Penn?
30 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Pennsylvania and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Penn work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hempfield Township (10%, 4 mi), Pittsburgh (8%, 19 mi), Penn Township (7%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Penn without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Penn, from the people who make the trip.
More of Penn
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.