Workforce

Ashland depends on workers who live elsewhere, while many residents also work outside the city. This shows a regional labor market—not why any particular household chose its home.

2022* · CITY BOUNDARY

Work here, live elsewhere

69%4,752 workers → Ashland

of 6,910 people working in Ashland

Their homes are outside city limits.

2022* · CITY BOUNDARY

Live here, work elsewhere

63%3,625 workers → elsewhere

of 5,783 employed Ashland residents

Their jobs are outside city limits.

2022* · CITY BOUNDARY

Live and work here

31%2,158 workers stay within Ashland

of 6,910 people working in Ashland

Also 37% of employed Ashland residents.

The percentages use two different totals: jobs in the city and employed residents of the city. The three counts describe distinct groups; their percentages do not add to 100%. EOA Exhibit 37 · Census/LEHD

What kinds of work connect Ashland to the region?

Hospitality, education and retail show a net inward balance. Health care shows a net outward balance. These totals cannot tell us the exact job mix of incoming workers, outgoing residents, or people who both live and work here.

Accommodation & Food Services: +638
Educational Services: +596
Retail Trade: +354
Health Care & Social Assistance: −162

2022 net job balance: jobs located here minus jobs held by residents in each industry. Positive suggests net labor inflow; negative suggests outflow. These are not direct commuter counts.

What this adds to the housing question

Housing costs may keep a local job from becoming a local household. But commuting can also reflect job specialization, partners working in different places, or personal preferences. The industry balances help describe that mismatch; they do not identify individual occupations or family circumstances.

Compare housing costs across nearby cities →

Worker flows: EOA definitions and reporting differences

The June 2, 2025 draft Economic Opportunities Analysis, Exhibit 37 (p. 38), labels its commuting figures 2022, while its LEHD source note says 2021. The Snapshot follows the exhibit heading pending clarification. It reports 6,910 jobs and 5,783 employed residents, including 2,158 who live and work in Ashland.

Exhibit 39 (p. 40) uses 2022 LODES and different totals: 9,104 jobs located in Ashland and 7,419 jobs held by residents. Its industry balances subtract resident-held jobs from local jobs; they do not count individual commuters. Do not combine these totals with Exhibit 37. Neither table identifies families, school enrollment, daily travel frequency or reasons for moving.

The EOA’s older demographic context uses different dates from the Snapshot: median age 48.2 in 2022, a 65+ share rising from 16% to nearly 28% in 2010–22, and an approximately 8% decline in ages 19 and under. Its text reports 62% bachelor’s attainment in 2023, while the nearby map cites 2018–22 ACS. These are contextual findings, not the Snapshot’s current age benchmarks.

City EOA · original report