Work, pay and getting to work in Sprague
Sprague has 391 jobs, and 537 of its residents work somewhere. Only 1% work in Sprague; the top destination outside it is Beckley (39%, 2 miles). Commuters spend 12 minutes getting to work on average; West Virginia averages 27, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Sprague
39% of Sprague works in Beckley
207 working residents, 39%, have their main job in Beckley, 1.5 miles away. That’s 39 times as many as work in Sprague itself. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Sprague are quick
The average trip to work takes 12 minutes, against 27 across West Virginia. That’s about 115 hours a year less on the road than the typical West Virginia worker. Time on the road ↓
Most Sprague residents work close to home
63% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. 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 537 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Sprague’s working residents head each day
Where Sprague clocks in
39% of workers
3% 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 12 minutes each way for Sprague’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sprague workers work from home, vs 9% across West Virginia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 407 commuters (the 9% 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.
Where in the region Sprague works
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.
Sprague quiets down on a workday
On a workday 531 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 385 people come in from elsewhere.
About 810 people are in Sprague on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.73 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.
69% of the jobs in Sprague pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sprague, 2013 → 2023: 351 → 391. 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 Sprague’s own residents hold wherever they work.
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 Sprague: questions
What is the median household income in Sprague?
$64,875 (±$19,958) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $59,608 across West Virginia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sprague?
3.8%, against 16.7% across West Virginia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sprague?
12 minutes each way on average, against 27 across West Virginia and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sprague work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Beckley (39%, 2 mi), Charleston (3%, 46 mi), Prosperity (2%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Sprague 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 Sprague, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sprague
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.