East Hall · Photo: Harper1040 · CC BY-SA 4.0Institute draws 389 commuters a day, with 2.1 jobs for every working resident
Only 5% stay in Institute for work; outside it, Charleston is the main destination (32%, 8 miles). There are 398 jobs in Institute; 187 of its residents have a job. Working from home is the commute for <1% of workers (West Virginia 9%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Institute on a workday afternoon
On a workday 178 residents head out to work and 9 work right here.
About 730 people are in Institute on a workday afternoon, 40% 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.
Where the people who work in Institute live
Where Institute clocks in
32% of workers
6% 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.
29% of the jobs in Institute make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Institute, 2013 → 2023: 1,108 → 398. 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 Institute’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Institute: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Institute workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 230 commuters (the <1% 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.
How far Institute goes 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.
The towns around Institute
The biggest share goes to Nitro (3%).
Jobs & commute next door
Darker towns draw more of Institute’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 Institute: questions
What is the median household income in Institute?
$42,315 (±$24,672) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Institute?
20.6%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Institute?
19 minutes each way on average, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally. <1% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Institute work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Charleston (32%, 8 mi), South Charleston (6%, 4 mi), Dunbar (5%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Institute without a car?
21% of commuters take transit and 15% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Institute, from the people who make the trip.
More of Institute
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.