Most of Alger commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
There are 63 jobs in Alger, against 305 working residents. Hardly any work in Alger itself; outside it, Burlington draws the most (10%, 10 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 21 minutes, where Washington has 27 and 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 Alger: the gist
Alger is a place people come home to
There are 63 jobs based in Alger, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Alger has about 450 people in it, 35% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
33% 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 ↓
Commutes from Alger are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 27 across Washington. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Washington 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 305 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
A workday in Alger: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 304 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 62 people come in from elsewhere.
About 450 people are in Alger on a workday afternoon, 35% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Alger
About 33% 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 21 minutes each way, quicker than most of Washington
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alger workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 321 commuters (the 15% who work from home are left out). Across Washington: 79% drive alone, 4% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The towns that employ Alger’s residents
Where Alger clocks in
10% of workers
10% of workers
7% 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.
Alger makes things: 57% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alger, 2013 → 2023: 53 → 63. 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 Alger’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 Alger: questions
What is the median household income in Alger?
$109,151 (±$30,775) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alger?
6.7%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alger?
21 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alger work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Burlington (10%, 10 mi), Bellingham (10%, 12 mi), Mount Vernon (7%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Alger without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alger, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alger
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.