There are 2.2 jobs in Despard for every working resident, and 709 people commute in
Employers in Despard report 720 jobs for 324 working residents. Working residents average 17 minutes each way, next to 27 for West Virginia and 26 for the U.S. Working from home is the commute for 2% of workers, 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
The commute and the jobs: Despard in brief
Despard is where the jobs are
Despard has 720 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 1,400 people are in town, 41% more than the 970 who live here. Day and night ↓
Jobs in Despard have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Despard went from 327 in 2013 to 720 in 2023, +120%. The jobs ↓
Despard and Clarksburg trade workers both ways
Clarksburg is the top workplace for Despard residents (24%) and also where the most people who work in Despard come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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 324 working residents, small shifts move the shares; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The daily flow of workers through Despard
On a workday 313 residents head out to work and 11 work right here.
About 1,400 people are in Despard on a workday afternoon, 41% more than live here.
2.2 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.
Despard makes things: 56% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Despard, 2013 → 2023: 327 → 720. 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 Despard’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where the people who work in Despard live
Where Despard clocks in
24% of workers
20% 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.
Getting to work from Despard takes about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Despard workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 298 commuters (the 2% 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.
The distance from Despard to work
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.
24% of Despard works in a town next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Despard workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Despard | – | — | — | 17 min | $24,455 |
| Clarksburg | 24% | C− | A | 21 min | $47,386 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Clarksburg. Darker towns draw more of Despard’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 Despard: questions
What is the median household income in Despard?
$24,455 (±$15,528) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Despard?
26.1%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Despard?
17 minutes each way on average, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Despard work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Clarksburg (24%, 3 mi), Bridgeport (20%, 4 mi), Fairmont (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Despard without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 45% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Despard, from the people who make the trip.
More of Despard
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.