Most of Dawson commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
61 jobs are based in Dawson; 361 of its residents have a job. Only 2% stay in Dawson for work; outside it, Corsicana is the main destination (19%, 20 miles). The average commute takes 36 minutes each way; Texas averages 27, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Dawson: the gist
A big share show a job far from home
52% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Dawson is a place people come home to
There are 61 jobs based in Dawson, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Dawson has about 520 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Dawson workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 27 across Texas. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical 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 361 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Short hops and long hauls from Dawson
About 52% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Dawson
On a workday 355 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 55 people come in from elsewhere.
About 520 people are in Dawson on a workday afternoon, 36% 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.
About 36 minutes to work from Dawson
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dawson workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 478 commuters (the 19% who work from home are left out). Across Texas: 83% 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 Dawson’s working residents head each day
Where Dawson clocks in
Lines 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 Dawson: what the 61 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dawson, 2013 → 2023: 33 → 61. 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 Dawson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
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 Dawson: questions
What is the median household income in Dawson?
$51,042 (±$24,310) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dawson?
21.7%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dawson?
36 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dawson work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Corsicana (19%, 20 mi), Dallas (9%, 62 mi), Waco (7%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Dawson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dawson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dawson
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.