Photo: FloNight · CC BY-SA 4.0Work, pay and getting to work in Matewan
Home is the office for 0% of workers, against 9% across West Virginia. Hardly any work in Matewan; the top destination outside it is Williamson (9%, 7 miles). The average commute takes 19 minutes each way, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who commutes out of Matewan, and who commutes in
On a workday 87 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 53 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
0.61 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
Where the trip to work from Matewan ends
Where Matewan clocks in
9% of workers
5% 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.
The 53 jobs based in Matewan
53 jobs are based in Matewan.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Matewan, 2013 → 2023: 182 → 53. 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 Matewan’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 19 minutes from Matewan
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Matewan workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 85 commuters (the 0% 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 many miles Matewan commutes
About 45% 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.
Next door to Matewan
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Matewan workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matewan | – | — | — | 19 min | $16,105 |
| Red Jacket | under 3% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Red Jacket: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Matewan’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 Matewan: questions
What is the median household income in Matewan?
$16,105 (±$4,754) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Matewan?
41.4%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Matewan?
19 minutes each way on average, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Matewan work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Williamson (9%, 7 mi), Pikeville (5%, 23 mi), Logan (5%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Matewan without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 38% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Matewan, from the people who make the trip.
More of Matewan
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.