Photo: Eric Polk(Epolk) · Public domainLebanon has lower unemployment (2.4%) than 79% of U.S. towns
About one in four stay in Lebanon for work; outside it, Nashville is the main destination (33%, 25 miles). Jobs and income earn Lebanon B+; getting around on foot earns it C+. A typical one-way commute lasts 27 minutes, where Tennessee has 26 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Lebanon, in brief
Lebanon is where the jobs are
Lebanon has 30,733 jobs, 1.5 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Lebanon and Nashville trade workers both ways
Nashville is the top workplace for Lebanon residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Lebanon come from (10% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The biggest group of Lebanon’s workers comes from Nashville
3,193 of the people who work in Lebanon live in Nashville, 25 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
Lebanon has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Lebanon went from 21,890 in 2014 to 30,733 in 2024, +40%. The jobs ↓
Lebanon draws workers from far and wide
The 30,733 jobs in Lebanon are filled from a wide area. Lebanon’s own residents hold 16% and the ten next-biggest home towns 29%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Lebanon
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lebanon is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #52 of 177 in Tennessee. Job access by car holds Lebanon’s grade up (ahead of 80% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (13.1%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Lebanon could be anywhere from B− to A−.
The daily flow of workers through Lebanon
On a workday 15,090 residents head out to work, 4,917 work right here, and 25,816 people come in from elsewhere.
About 64,000 people are in Lebanon on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The towns that send workers to Lebanon
Where Lebanon clocks in
3% 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.
Inside Lebanon’s 30,733 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lebanon, 2014 → 2024: 21,890 → 30,733. 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 Lebanon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Lebanon, about 27 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lebanon workers work from home, vs 13% across Tennessee. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,140 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Tennessee: 87% 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.
Where in the region Lebanon works
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.
For most of Lebanon, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lebanon is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns, #78 of 177 in Tennessee. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.0% across Tennessee.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 22,113 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 3% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 49% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.7% of Lebanon households have no vehicle (Tennessee 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Lebanon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Lebanon is 455th of 850 U.S. towns of 37,000 to 72,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Brentwood TN | 45,313 | $182K | 3.6% | 2.6% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Germantown TN | 40,001 | $150K | 2.7% | 3.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 59 | Spring Hill TN | 61,336 | $112K | 4.3% | 2.1% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 453 | San Gabriel CA | 38,186 | $90K | 10.6% | 5.9% | 8% | B+ |
| 454 | Lawrence IN | 50,420 | $74K | 8.7% | 4.5% | 7% | B+ |
| 455 | Lebanon TN | 53,412 | $73K | 13.1% | 2.4% | 25% | B+ |
| 456 | Bensalem Township PA | 62,783 | $85K | 11.9% | 4.8% | 15% | B+ |
| 457 | Vineyard CA | 43,751 | $105K | 11.6% | 5.6% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 850 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | 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 Lebanon, the top three, the last and three more from Tennessee.
How Lebanon compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Mount Juliet (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lebanon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | – | B+ | C+ | 27 min | $72,848 |
| Gladeville | under 2% | A− | D− | 25 min | $97,148 |
| Mount Juliet | 5% | A | C+ | 30 min | $107,068 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lebanon’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 Lebanon: questions
What is the median household income in Lebanon?
$72,848 (±$6,129) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,595 across Tennessee and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lebanon?
13.1%, against 13.8% across Tennessee and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lebanon?
27 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Tennessee and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lebanon work?
25% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Nashville (33%, 25 mi), Mount Juliet (5%, 9 mi), Murfreesboro (3%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Lebanon walkable?
Lebanon is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lebanon without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lebanon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lebanon
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. 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.