Rung zeroThe first credentialThe first technical jobThe branch pointThe senior rungWho pays, at every rungHow long it actually takesIf you stall
A commuting zone is the federal measure of the area people living somewhere actually travel to work across. It is the right unit here, because the employer, the community college, the training provider and the workforce board are almost never all inside one county line — and searching a county alone is the most common reason someone concludes there is nothing near them.
All 588 of them are below, ordered by size.
New York, NYNewark, NJLos Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CAChicago, ILDallas, TXFort Worth, TXHouston, TXAtlanta, GAWashington, DCMiami, FLPhiladelphia, PAPhoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale, AZBoston, MA–NHSan Francisco–Oakland, CADetroit, MISeattle–Tacoma, WAMinneapolis, MNTampa–St. Petersburg, FLSan Diego, CADenver–Aurora, COOrlando, FLCharlotte, NC–SCBaltimore, MDSt. Louis, MOSan Antonio, TXAustin, TXPortland, OR–WASacramento, CAPittsburgh, PALas Vegas–Henderson–Paradise, NVCincinnati, OH–KYKansas City, MO–KSColumbus, OHIndianapolis, INMurfreesboro, TNNashville-Davidson, TNCleveland, OHSan Jose, CANewport News, VAVirginia Beach, VAJacksonville, FLProvidence, RI–MARaleigh, NCMilwaukee, WIOklahoma City, OKLouisville/Jefferson County, KY–INRichmond, VAMemphis, TN–MS–ARSalt Lake City, UTFresno, CABirmingham, ALGrand Rapids, MIHartford, CTBuffalo, NYTucson, AZTulsa, OKRochester, NYGreenville, SCOmaha, NE–IANew Orleans, LAKnoxville, TNBradenton–Sarasota–Venice, FLBakersfield, CAAlbuquerque, NMMcAllen, TXAlbany–Schenectady, NYCharleston, SCBaton Rouge, LAAllentown–Bethlehem, PA–NJEl Paso, TX–NMColumbia, SCCape Coral, FLLakeland, FLBoise City, IDDayton, OHStockton, CAColorado Springs, COLittle Rock, ARDes Moines, IADaytona Beach–Palm Coast–Port Orange, FLWinston-Salem, NCMadison, WIWichita, KSSyracuse, NYAugusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance), GAFayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR–MOHarrisburg, PAJackson, MSSpokane, WAToledo, OH–MIChattanooga, TN–GAReno, NV–CAPortland, MEScranton, PAPort St. Lucie, FLHuntsville, ALPensacola, FL–ALLexington-Fayette, KYKilleen, TXSpringfield, MOWilmington, NCLansing, MIFort Wayne, INSpringfield, MA–CTSanta Barbara, CASavannah, GABrownsville, TXNashua, NH–MAGulfport–Biloxi, MSMyrtle Beach–North Myrtle Beach, SC–NCLafayette, LAYoungstown, OHAsheville, NCMobile, ALSpartanburg, SCAnchorage, AKCanton, OHTrenton, NJTallahassee, FLFayetteville, NCMontgomery, ALShreveport, LAEugene, ORDavenport, IA–ILFort Collins, COHickory, NCLubbock, TXHuntington, WV–KY–OHPeoria, ILGainesville, FLLincoln, NEClarksville, TN–KYRockford, ILGreen Bay, WIColumbus, GA–ALSouth Bend, IN–MIKennewick–Richland–Pasco, WARoanoke, VASioux Falls, SDLongview, TXCollege Station–Bryan, TXTuscaloosa, ALDuluth, MN–WICedar Rapids, IAAmarillo, TXEvansville, INFargo, ND–MNLynchburg, VABend, ORErie, PAKalamazoo, MIYakima, WAPrescott–Prescott Valley, AZTyler, TXAppleton, WILake Charles, LABinghamton, NYChampaign, ILFort Smith, AR–OKTopeka, KSRochester, MNPanama City–Panama City Beach, FLCharlottesville, VALafayette, INBurlington, VTGainesville, GAYuma, AZ–CAAthens-Clarke County, GAMonroe, LAMedford, ORColumbia, MOJacksonville, NCJohnson City, TNSt. George, UTJoplin, MOWarner Robins, GASpringfield, ILSt. Cloud, MNCharleston, WVHouma, LABowling Green, KYDover, DEBillings, MTCoeur d'Alene, IDSaginaw, MIBurlington, NCAbilene, TXJackson, TNGreenville, NCRedding, CAEau Claire, WIIdaho Falls, IDOdessa, TXLa Crosse, WI–MNTerre Haute, INWaterloo, IABloomington, INGrand Junction, COLogan, UTKahului–Wailuku, HIJackson, MIHattiesburg, MSBangor, MEState College, PATraverse City–Garfield, MIRapid City, SDDothan, ALValdosta, GAWichita Falls, TXRocky Mount, NCAlexandria, LADalton, GATexarkana, TX–ARSioux City, IA–NE–SDAlbany, GAMorgantown, WVHarrisonburg, VABismarck, NDJonesboro, ARWausau, WIManhattan, KSMorristown, TNBozeman, MTMissoula, MTElizabethtown–Radcliff, KYWenatchee, WAPittsfield, MAAmes, IAMansfield, OHTwin Falls, IDSan Angelo, TXFarmington, NMAltoona, PASt. Joseph, MO–KSBrunswick–St. Simons, GASheboygan, WIAnniston–Oxford, ALOwensboro, KYMuncie, INSandusky–Port Clinton, OHWilliamsport, PASteubenville–Weirton, OH–WV–PAWatertown, NYBeckley, WVKankakee, ILGrand Forks, ND–MNMankato, MNGadsden, ALCheyenne, WYPaducah, KY–ILLima, OHVictoria, TXHot Springs, ARDubuque, IA–ILDecatur, ILCape Girardeau, MO–ILFairbanks, AKPocatello, IDParkersburg, WV–OHColumbus, INGreat Falls, MTCasper, WYElmira, NYGrand Island, NEMinot, NDLewiston, ID–WAEnid, OKEagle Pass, TXAberdeen, SDAberdeen, WAAkutan, AKAlamogordo, NMAlamosa, COAlexandria, MNAlice, TXAlliance, NEAlpena, MIAlpine, TXAltus, OKAmericus, GAAndalusia, ALAndrews, NCArdmore, OKAshland, WIAthens, OHAtwood, KSBaker, MTBardstown, KYBartlesville, OKBatesville, ARBeloit, KSBethel, AKBluefield, WV–VABlytheville, ARBoone, NCBowman, NDBradford, PA–NYBrady, TXBrainerd, MNBroken Bow, NEBrookings, SDBrownwood, TXBuffalo, SDBurley, IDBurlington, COBurlington, IA–ILBurns, ORCadillac, MICarrington, NDCentralia, ILChamberlain, SDChester, MTChildress, TXChillicothe, MOChincoteague, VAClovis, NMCody, WYColby, KSColstrip, MTColumbia, TNColumbus, NEConcordia, KSCondon, ORCookeville, TNCovington, VACrescent City, CACreston, IACrossville, TNCumberland, MD–WV–PADanville, KYDe Queen, ARDecorah, IADelta, UTDenison, IADevils Lake, NDDickinson, NDDillingham, AKDillon, MTDodge City, KSDouglas, GADublin, GADumas, TXDyersburg, TNEastpoint, FLEdwards–Avon, COEl Dorado, ARElkins, WVElko, NVEmporia, KSEnterprise, OREureka, CAEvanston, WYFalls City, NEFarmington, MOFarmville, VAFindlay, OHFort Dodge, IAFort Leonard Wood–St. Robert–Waynesville, MOFort Stockton, TXFredericksburg, VAFriday Harbor, WAGallup, NMGarden City, KSGermantown, MDGillette, WYGlasgow, MTGlasgow, KYGonzales, TXGoodland, KSGrafton, NDGraham, TXGrand Marais, MNGranite City, ILGreat Bend, KSGreendale–Lawrenceburg–Hidden Valley, IN–OHGreensburg, INGreenville, MSGreenville, TXGreenwood, MSGunnison, COGuymon, OKHaines, AKHamilton, ALHammond, INHarlan, KYHarrisburg, ILHarrison, ARHastings, NEHays, KSHazard, KYHeber Springs, ARHelena-West Helena, ARHenderson, KYHilo, HIHilton Head Island, SCHobbs, NMHonolulu, HIHooper Bay, AKHoughton Lake, MIHoughton–Hancock, MIHugoton, KSHutchinson, KSHyannis, NEInternational Falls, MNIowa Falls, IAIronwood, MI–WIJackson, WYJamestown, NDJohn Day, ORJordan, MTJuneau, AKKalispell, MTKapaa, HIKearney, NEKeene, NHKenai, AKKerrville, TXKetchikan, AKKirksville, MOKlamath Falls–Altamont, ORKodiak–Mill Bay, AKKotzebue, AKLa Grande, ORLake City, FLLakeview, ORLamar, COLaramie, WYLas Vegas, NMLebanon, NH–VTLeesburg, VALewistown, MTLexington, VALiberal, KSLisbon, NDLivingston, MTLogansport, INLudington, MILufkin, TXMagnolia, ARMalta, MTMarinette–Menominee, WI–MIMarion–Herrin, ILMarion, VAMarquette, MIMartinsville, VAMaryville, MOMason City, IAMatador, TXMaysville, KY–OHMcAlester, OKMcCall, IDMcComb, MSMcCook, NEMeridian, MSMetlakatla, AKMexia, TXMiami, OKMiddlesborough, KY–TNMilbank, SDMiles City, MTMilledgeville, GAMitchell, SDMoab, UTMoberly, MOMobridge, SDMoses Lake, WAMount Sterling, KYMountain Home, ARMuskogee, OKNacogdoches, TXNantucket, MANatchez, MS–LANebraska City, NENevada, MONewport, ORNome, AKNorfolk, NENorth Eagle Butte, SDNorth Platte, NENorton, KSO'Neill, NEOlney, ILOrd, NEOsceola, IAOtsego, MNOttumwa, IAOxford, MSPampa, TXParis, TNParkston, SDParsons, KSPetersburg, AKPetoskey, MIPhilip, SDPierre, SDPikeville, KYPine Bluff, ARPlainview, TXPlatteville, WIPlattsburgh, NYPlentywood, MTPoplar Bluff, MOPortsmouth, OH–KYPratt, KSPresque Isle, MEPrice, UTQuincy, ILRhinelander, WIRice Lake, WIRichfield, UTRichmond, IN–OHRichmond, KYRiverton, WYRoanoke Rapids, NCRock Springs, WYRoseau, MNRoseburg, ORRoswell, NMRugby, NDRussellville, ARSafford, AZSalida, COSalina, KSSalmon, IDSanderson, TXSault Ste. Marie, MIScott City, KSSearcy, ARSedalia, MOSeminole, TXSequim, WAShelby, MTSheridan, WYSidney, NESioux Center, IASitka, AKSkagway, AKSnyder, TXSomerset, KYSpirit Lake, IAStarkville, MSSteamboat Springs, COSterling, COStillwater, OKStorm Lake, IASummersville, WVSusanville, CASweetwater, TXTallulah, LATaos, NMTappahannock, VAThe Dalles, ORThompson Falls, MTTifton, GAToms River, NJTorrington, WYTrenton, MOTrinidad, COTupelo, MSUkiah, CAUnalaska, AKUtqiaġvik, AKUvalde, TXValentine, NEValley City, NDVernal, UTVernon, TXVillage of Four Seasons, MOVincennes, INVineyard Haven–Edgartown–Oak Bluffs, MAWarrenton–New Baltimore, VAWashington Court House, OHWashington, NCWaynesville, NCWeatherford, OKWest Plains, MOWilliston, NDWillmar, MNWinner, SDWinnett, MTWise–Norton, VAWoodstock, GAWoodward, OKWorthington, MNWrangell city and, AKYankton, SDYonkers, NYZapata–Medina, TX
Zero to TechnicianThe campaign
Sources. Occupation employment and wages: US Bureau
of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage
Statistics May 2025 and Employment Projections 2025–35; typical entry-level education assignments from
the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Competing STEM
definitions and their totals: BLS, Employment and wages for alternate definitions of STEM
occupations; NSF NCSES, The State of U.S. Science and Engineering and its glossary, which
defines S&E-related occupations as including "S&E precollege teachers"; and Congressional Research
Service report R43061, which states that there is no authoritative definition and that estimates have
ranged from about 6 million to more than 21 million. All wages on these pages are national
medians and are labelled as such — local wages differ, sometimes substantially, and a campaign
built on other people's numbers being misleading does not get to imply a local figure it does not have.
Labour markets: 2020 Commuting Zones. County economic type and needs classifications: USDA Economic
Research Service County Typology Codes. County and metro counts are computed from the committed county
file at build time, not asserted.
Photographs on this campaign are licensed stock used as illustration — not portraits of the people inside the federal counts. Full credits: CREDITS.md.