Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0Work and commuting in Trenton
Only 5% stay in Trenton for work; outside it, McKinney is the main destination (11%, 24 miles). Commuters spend 30 minutes getting to work on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. Employers in Trenton report 342 jobs for 385 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Trenton at work: what stands out
Short hops and long hauls from Trenton
About 22% 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 Trenton
On a workday 366 residents head out to work, 19 work right here, and 323 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.89 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.
The places Trenton commutes to
Where Trenton clocks in
11% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 33% of the jobs in Trenton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Trenton, 2013 → 2023: 221 → 342. 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 Trenton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Trenton’s commute takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Trenton workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 247 commuters (the 18% 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.
Trenton and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Leonard (3%).
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Trenton’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 Trenton: questions
What is the median household income in Trenton?
$53,929 (±$20,470) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Trenton?
16.2%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Trenton?
30 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Trenton work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are McKinney (11%, 24 mi), Dallas (11%, 50 mi), Plano (8%, 35 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Trenton 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 Trenton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Trenton
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.