A third of workers commute outside Franklin County

(Washington, D.C.) — Unlike commuting patterns in surrounding counties, about 69 percent of workers living in Franklin County commute to jobs inside their home county, according to the latest Census data.

That’s about the state average. Seven in 10 Pennsylvania workers lived and worked in the same county during the period 2009-13.

In the region: 67 percent of workers living in Cumberland County also work there; 66 percent in Washington County, Maryland; 51 percent in Adams County and 49 percent in Fulton County. Pennsylvania figures ranged from 32.1 percent in Perry County to 95.8 percent in Erie County.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a county-to-county commuting flows table package that also looks at commuters’ main travel mode, based on American Community Survey data collected from 2009 to 2013.

A vast majority of Franklin County residents drive alone to work. About one in 10 commuters uses a car pool — 12 percent of those working in the county, 14 percent working in Cumberland County, 13 percent working in Frederick County, Maryland, and 9 percent working in Washington County, Maryland,

About 21,300 Franklin County residents commute to jobs outside the county. More than half of people driving to out-of-county jobs travel to Maryland. Here’s a partial breakdown of the commuting traffic: 69 percent in Franklin County, 6 percent to Cumberland County, 2 percent to Adams County and 1 percent to Fulton County. Maryland got 17 percent of workers — 14 percent to Washington County and 3 percent to Frederick County.

Franklin County is an overall exporter of labor to Washington County, Maryland (9,297 workers going out of Franklin County vs. 2,543 coming in); Frederick County, Maryland (2,320 out to 447 in); and Cumberland County (4,356 out to 3,752 in).

Franklin County is a net importer of workers from Adams County (1,184 workers in vs. 1,153 out) and Fulton County (977 in to 601 out).

Franklin County residents made use of public transportation to reach jobs in Washington, D.C. Nearly as many commuters used public transportation as drove alone. Of the 148 people commuting to jobs in Washington, D.C., from Franklin County: 50 drove alone, 46 used public transportation, 12 carpooled and 40 used other means.

Franklin County commuters used public transportation very little in other large metro areas within commuting distance.

Jim Hook can be reached at 717-262-4759.

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This article comes to us through a partnership between Public Opinion Online and WITF.