Big Chimney draws 773 commuters a day, with 2.7 jobs for every working resident
778 jobs are based in Big Chimney; 287 of its residents have a job. Only 2% stay in Big Chimney for work; outside it, Charleston is the main destination (44%, 7 miles). 26% of workers work from home, where West Virginia as a whole has 9%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Big Chimney stands out on work
Big Chimney is where the jobs are
Big Chimney has 778 jobs, 2.7 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 1,100 people are in town, 80% more than the 610 who live here. Day and night ↓
44% of Big Chimney works in Charleston
127 working residents, 44%, have their main job in Charleston, 7.1 miles away. That’s 22 times as many as work in Big Chimney itself. The commute map ↓
Most Big Chimney residents work close to home
65% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
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 287 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
A workday in Big Chimney: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 282 residents head out to work and 5 work right here.
About 1,100 people are in Big Chimney on a workday afternoon, 80% more 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 towns that send workers to Big Chimney
Where Big Chimney clocks in
44% of workers
8% of workers
2% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Big Chimney
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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Big Chimney
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Big Chimney, 2013 → 2023: 581 → 778. 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 Big Chimney’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Working from home in Big Chimney
of Big Chimney workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 125 commuters (the 26% who work from home are left out). Across West Virginia: 86% 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.
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 Big Chimney: questions
What is the median household income in Big Chimney?
$43,403 (±$31,533) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Big Chimney?
32.1%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Big Chimney work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Charleston (44%, 7 mi), South Charleston (8%, 11 mi), Bridgeport (2%, 93 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Big Chimney without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Big Chimney, from the people who make the trip.
More of Big Chimney
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.