A job hub: Jefferson has 2.7 jobs per working resident, and 557 people come in to work
561 jobs are based in Jefferson, against 207 working residents. Only 2% stay in Jefferson for work; outside it, Charleston is the main destination (27%, 9 miles). Commuters spend 25 minutes getting to work on average, next to 27 for West Virginia and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Jefferson
Jefferson is where the jobs are
Jefferson has 561 jobs, 2.7 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 890 people are in town, 66% more than the 530 who live here. Day and night ↓
Most Jefferson residents work close to home
62% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Jefferson than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Jefferson fell from 913 in 2013 to 561 in 2023, −39%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
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 207 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Jefferson nearly doubles on a workday
On a workday 203 residents head out to work and 4 work right here.
About 890 people are in Jefferson on a workday afternoon, 66% 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.
How far it is to work from Jefferson
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 Jefferson
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jefferson, 2013 → 2023: 913 → 561. 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 Jefferson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting in to Jefferson: where workers come from
Where Jefferson clocks in
27% of workers
9% of workers
8% 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.
About 25 minutes each way, about the WV average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jefferson workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 132 commuters (the 4% 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 towns next door employ 19% of Jefferson
The biggest share goes to South Charleston (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jefferson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | – | — | — | 25 min | $39,861 |
| South Charleston | 9% | C | A− | 19 min | $63,884 |
| Nitro | 2% | C− | A− | 25 min | $53,848 |
| St. Albans | 8% | C | A | 21 min | $53,972 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Jefferson’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 Jefferson: questions
What is the median household income in Jefferson?
$39,861 (±$36,557) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson?
54.7%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jefferson?
25 minutes each way on average, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jefferson work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Charleston (27%, 9 mi), South Charleston (9%, 5 mi), St. Albans (8%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Jefferson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Jefferson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jefferson
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.