Wichita Falls draws about two in five of Petrolia’s working residents
Working residents average 22 minutes each way, next to 27 for Texas and 26 for the U.S. 0% of workers have no commute at all, against 14% across Texas. Only 4% work in Petrolia; the top destination outside it is Wichita Falls (44%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Petrolia: the gist
44% of Petrolia works in Wichita Falls
98 working residents, 44%, have their main job in Wichita Falls, 18 miles away. That’s 11 times as many as work in Petrolia itself. The commute map ↓
A big share show a job far from home
40% 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 ↓
Few Petrolia workers work from home
Only 0% of workers work from home, against 14% across Texas. 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 221 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where people from Petrolia work
Where Petrolia clocks in
44% of workers
5% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Petrolia
About 40% 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.
About 22 minutes each way for Petrolia’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Petrolia workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 183 commuters (the 0% 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.
In and out of Petrolia on a workday
On a workday 212 residents head out to work, 9 work right here, and 123 people come in from elsewhere.
About 450 people are in Petrolia on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.60 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.
Petrolia is a services town
132 jobs are based in Petrolia.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Petrolia, 2013 → 2023: 36 → 132. 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 Petrolia’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 Petrolia: questions
What is the median household income in Petrolia?
$63,750 (±$21,245) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Petrolia?
13.5%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Petrolia?
22 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Petrolia work?
4% work in town.
Can you get around Petrolia without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Petrolia, from the people who make the trip.
More of Petrolia
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.