Wade-Beckham House · Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick · CC BY-SA 3.0At 10.7%, unemployment in Irwin is higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
Hardly any work in Irwin; the top destination outside it is Lancaster (16%, 3 miles). The two grades for Irwin are D for jobs and income and D− for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 80% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Irwin
Irwin is a place people come home to
There are 9 jobs based in Irwin, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Irwin has about 1,400 people in it, 28% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Irwin are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 26 across South Carolina. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical South Carolina 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 543 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Jobs & income in Irwin: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Irwin is better than 11% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Irwin’s grade up (ahead of 50% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Irwin could be anywhere from D to A.
In and out of Irwin on a workday
On a workday 541 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 7 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in Irwin on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
0.02 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.
Time on the road from Irwin: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Irwin workers work from home, vs 12% across South Carolina. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 971 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across South Carolina: 86% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Out of Irwin to work: where people go
Where Irwin clocks in
16% 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.
What work there is in Irwin: 9 jobs
9 jobs are based in Irwin.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Irwin, 2013 → 2023: 15 → 9. 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 Irwin’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Irwin to work
About 19% 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.
In Irwin, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Irwin is near the bottom of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Irwin near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,040 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.2% of Irwin households have no vehicle (South Carolina 5.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Irwin’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 5,921 U.S. towns of 1,300 to 2,600, Irwin comes 4,924th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 302 | Pimlico SC | 1,765 | $137K | 4.8% | 0.0% | 0% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 307 | Sullivan's Island SC | 1,961 | $193K | 8.8% | 1.5% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 433 | Folly Beach SC | 2,081 | $102K | 4.0% | 2.1% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,922 | Bloomfield Township PA | 1,821 | $63K | 18.6% | 7.3% | 2% | D |
| 4,923 | Cabazon CA | 1,887 | $49K | 24.4% | 8.9% | 2% | D |
| 4,924 | Irwin SC | 1,919 | $56K | 26.1% | 10.7% | <1% | D |
| 4,925 | Ranger TX | 2,335 | $34K | 23.3% | 3.5% | 12% | D |
| 4,926 | Crystal Falls Township MI | 1,676 | $58K | 12.8% | 9.3% | 12% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 5,921 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Irwin, the top three, the last and three more from South Carolina.
The towns around Irwin
The biggest share goes to Springdale (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Irwin workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irwin | – | D | D− | 20 min | $55,885 |
| Springdale | 2% | C | B | 27 min | $41,398 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Irwin’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 Irwin: questions
What is the median household income in Irwin?
$55,885 (±$17,649) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,324 across South Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Irwin?
26.1%, against 14.1% across South Carolina and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Irwin?
20 minutes each way on average, against 26 across South Carolina and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Irwin work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lancaster (16%, 3 mi), Charlotte (8%, 36 mi), Rock Hill (8%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Irwin walkable?
Irwin is near the bottom of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 3.3 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Irwin 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 Irwin, from the people who make the trip.
More of Irwin
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.