Photo: Jennifer · CC BY-SA 4.0With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Carolina works elsewhere
Carolina has 57 jobs; 440 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Carolina; the top destination outside it is South Kingstown (11%, 6 miles). For 4% of workers, the job is at home (Rhode Island 13%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Carolina stands out on work
Carolina workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 55 minutes each way, against 26 across Rhode Island. Over a year that’s about 422 hours of commuting, 222 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Carolina is a place people come home to
There are 57 jobs based in Carolina, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Carolina has about 670 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Few Carolina workers work from home
Only 4% of workers work from home, against 13% across Rhode Island. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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 440 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Getting to work from Carolina takes about 55 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 17.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Carolina workers work from home, vs 13% across Rhode Island. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 490 commuters (the 4% who work from home are left out). Across Rhode Island: 83% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Who leaves Carolina for work, and who comes in
On a workday 440 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 57 people come in from elsewhere.
About 670 people are in Carolina on a workday afternoon, 37% 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.
Commuting out of Carolina: the destinations
Where Carolina clocks in
11% of workers
8% of workers
8% 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.
Jobs in Carolina: what the 57 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Carolina, 2013 → 2023: 32 → 57. 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 Carolina’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Carolina
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.
Carolina and the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Carolina workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | – | — | — | 55 min | $140,196 |
| Charlestown | 4% | B+ | B | 28 min | $109,404 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Charlestown. Darker towns draw more of Carolina’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 Carolina: questions
What is the median household income in Carolina?
$140,196 (±$24,770) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $87,796 across Rhode Island and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Carolina?
5.6%, against 11.2% across Rhode Island and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Carolina?
55 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Rhode Island and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Carolina work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are South Kingstown (11%, 6 mi), Warwick (8%, 21 mi), Richmond (8%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Carolina without a car?
14% 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 Carolina, from the people who make the trip.
More of Carolina
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.