Workforce

More than two-thirds of people working in Ashland live outside the city. High housing costs may put a home near work beyond reach for some of the people who keep Ashland running.

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

A job and an affordable home need to be connected

Finding cheaper housing elsewhere—or taking a job farther away—can help a household’s budget, but it also changes the cost and time of getting to work. For people without reliable access to a car, transportation can limit which jobs, homes and childcare arrangements are practical.

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.

Worker flows: EOA definitions and reporting differences

These commuting figures show regional connections, but not how people travel, what commuting costs them or whether transit meets their schedules. They do not measure how much travel costs offset housing savings.

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

Employers depend on people who can make a life here

ASD, SOU, the City, OSF, hospitality businesses and other employers need workers across a broad range of incomes. If workers would prefer to live near their jobs but cannot afford Ashland housing, the city loses potential families, students, customers, volunteers and long-term community members.

A tourism and arts economy needs visitors who can afford to come and workers and artists who can afford to live in the community they come to experience.

What this adds to the housing question

People come to Ashland to work, but many make their homes elsewhere. High housing costs may be keeping some working households from living near their jobs—and raising their children here. These figures show where people live and work, but not why they chose those locations.

Compare housing costs across nearby cities →