Mary Queen of Heaven Roman Catholic Church · Photo: Williamborg · Public domainWith 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Sprague works elsewhere
2% of workers have no commute at all (Washington 20%). 59 jobs are based in Sprague, and 168 of its residents work somewhere. Only 3% work in Sprague; the top destination outside it is Odessa (12%, 34 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Sprague quiets down on a workday
On a workday 163 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 54 people come in from elsewhere.
About 420 people are in Sprague on a workday afternoon, 21% 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.
The places Sprague commutes to
Where Sprague clocks in
12% of workers
10% 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 Sprague’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sprague, 2013 → 2023: 56 → 59. 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 Sprague’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Sprague’s commute takes about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sprague workers work from home, vs 20% across Washington. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 231 commuters (the 3% 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.
Sprague’s commute, mile by mile
About 44% 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.
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 Sprague: questions
What is the median household income in Sprague?
$67,857 (±$21,073) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $98,141 across Washington and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sprague?
9.9%, against 9.9% across Washington and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sprague?
29 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Washington and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sprague work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Odessa (12%, 34 mi), Spokane (10%, 35 mi), Davenport (4%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Sprague 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 Sprague, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sprague
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.