There are 3.1 jobs in Selma for every working resident, and 384 people commute in
There are 390 jobs in Selma, and 127 of its residents work somewhere. Only 5% stay in Selma for work; outside it, Covington is the main destination (20%, 8 miles). Working from home is the commute for 0% of workers, where Virginia as a whole has 18%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Selma
On a workday 121 residents head out to work and 6 work right here.
About 410 people are in Selma on a workday afternoon, 180% more than live here.
3.1 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 2023, primary jobs.
Where Selma’s workers come from
Where Selma clocks in
20% of workers
6% 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.
Selma works in goods: 66% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Selma, 2013 → 2023: 10 → 390. 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 Selma’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Working from home in Selma
of Selma workers work from home, vs 18% across Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 48 commuters (the 0% who work from home are left out). Across Virginia: 83% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Miles to work from Selma
About 25% 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 towns around Selma
The biggest share goes to Clifton Forge (6%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Selma workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selma | – | — | — | — | — |
| Low Moor | 3% | — | — | — | — |
| Clifton Forge | 6% | C− | B− | 23 min | $40,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Low Moor: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Selma’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 Selma: questions
What is the poverty rate in Selma?
34.2%, against 9.9% across Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Selma work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Covington (20%, 8 mi), Clifton Forge (6%, 2 mi), Lexington (5%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Selma without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Selma, from the people who make the trip.
More of Selma
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.