Stephen Decatur Lawrence Farmstead · Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0At 5.4%, unemployment in Mesquite is higher than in 67% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in Mesquite; the top destination outside it is Dallas (35%, 11 miles). Mesquite grades B− for jobs and income and B for walkability. The average commute takes 32 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
What the numbers say about work in Mesquite
A lot of Mesquite works one town over
40% of working residents work in a town that borders Mesquite: Dallas (35%) and Garland (5%). Next door ↓
Mesquite workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 27 across Texas. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 38 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Mesquite
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Mesquite is better than 54% of U.S. towns, #279 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car holds Mesquite’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (13.4%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Mesquite could be anywhere from B− to B.
Mesquite’s commute takes about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Mesquite workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 64,732 commuters (the 10% 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.
How many people are in Mesquite by day
On a workday 53,589 residents head out to work, 7,049 work right here, and 39,036 people come in from elsewhere.
About 136,000 people are in Mesquite on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.76 per resident).
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 Mesquite: the destinations
Where Mesquite clocks in
5% of workers
4% 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 the 46,085 jobs in Mesquite are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Mesquite, 2013 → 2023: 41,808 → 46,085. 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 Mesquite’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Mesquite to work
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.
Most of Mesquite commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Mesquite is more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns, #217 of 642 in Texas. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.0% across Texas.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 71,915 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 11% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 3% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 52% 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). 4.9% of Mesquite households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Mesquite’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Mesquite is 126th of 234 U.S. towns of 105,000 to 203,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmel IN | 105,634 | $142K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 23% | A+ |
| 2 | Pearland TX | 129,930 | $119K | 4.1% | 3.3% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Smithtown NY | 116,847 | $153K | 4.2% | 3.9% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Allen TX | 113,447 | $131K | 6.1% | 3.7% | 11% | A |
| 8 | Sugar Land TX | 107,726 | $136K | 5.5% | 4.1% | 15% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 124 | Lawrence Township IN | 124,509 | $72K | 12.3% | 5.0% | 14% | B− |
| 125 | Glendale CA | 187,160 | $88K | 12.9% | 8.3% | 20% | B− |
| 126 | Mesquite TX | 150,693 | $73K | 13.4% | 5.4% | 12% | B− |
| 127 | Fayetteville AR | 106,623 | $63K | 20.6% | 4.0% | 45% | B− |
| 128 | Everett WA | 113,567 | $84K | 12.9% | 5.8% | 28% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 234 | Macon-Bibb County GA | 157,556 | $51K | 24.7% | 8.1% | 53% | 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 Mesquite, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
40% of Mesquite works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Mesquite workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesquite | – | B− | B | 32 min | $72,537 |
| Dallas | 35% | B− | A | 26 min | $70,518 |
| Balch Springs | under 2% | B− | B | 34 min | $66,942 |
| Garland | 5% | B | B+ | 30 min | $76,320 |
| Sunnyvale | under 2% | A− | C+ | 33 min | $170,348 |
| Seagoville | under 2% | B | C | 38 min | $66,743 |
| Heartland | under 2% | B | C | 40 min | $92,996 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Dallas. Darker towns draw more of Mesquite’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 Mesquite: questions
What is the median household income in Mesquite?
$72,537 (±$2,899) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Mesquite?
13.4%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Mesquite?
32 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Mesquite work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dallas (35%, 11 mi), Garland (5%, 11 mi), Richardson (4%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Mesquite walkable?
Mesquite is more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Mesquite without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 3% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Mesquite, from the people who make the trip.
More of Mesquite
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.