By Michael Jeanfreau, Senior Economist

OnTheMap is an online tool that helps users explore workforce trends and commuting patterns. Whether focusing on where people work or live, OnTheMap provides clear, interactive data that simplifies the process of analyzing local economic conditions. This guide will help users get familiar with the tool and begin gathering insights into workforce trends in specific areas.

OnTheMap is powered by data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) dataset. LODES is a rich source of information that links workers to their employers and provides detailed insights into both employment and residential patterns. By connecting where people live with where they work, LODES offers a comprehensive view of commuting patterns and workforce characteristics across different regions.

LODES combines data from multiple sources, including unemployment insurance earnings data and federal administrative records, to create a granular picture of the labor market. The dataset is particularly valuable because it covers a broad range of worker characteristics, such as age, earnings and industry, as well as geographic information down to the block level. This allows OnTheMap users to perform highly localized analyses, making it easier to explore workforce trends in specific neighborhoods or broader regions.

LODES is unique in its ability to look at both "home area" and "work area" perspectives. Users can switch between analyzing where workers live and where they are employed, providing a dual view for understanding regional dynamics. This level of detail helps in making informed decisions by offering a nuanced view of how the workforce moves and operates within a given area.

Why Use OnTheMap?

OnTheMap makes it easy to explore worker data in a particular region, offering answers to important questions such as: how far do people travel to work? Where do they live compared to their workplace? What industries are they employed in, and what are their earnings?

One of OnTheMap's key strengths is its user-friendly design, which allows even those without a background in data analysis to access valuable insights. It provides a way for anyone to investigate commuting patterns, workforce characteristics and economic trends in a variety of settings, from neighborhoods to entire states.

The tool is designed to be accessible and useful for a wide range of users. With OnTheMap, users can:

• Easily analyze workforce data in a few clicks.
• Visualize commuting patterns and worker demographics through interactive maps and charts.
• Access detailed information on worker age, earnings, industry and more, across different geographic levels.

Within the OnTheMap tool, users can use Distance/Direction Analysis to understand how far and in which direction workers commute between home and work. For example, it can show whether the majority of workers in a city travel short or long distances, or if most of them commute in a specific direction.

The Area Profile Analysis provides a detailed snapshot of the people living or working in a specific location. It offers data on worker demographics, such as age and earnings, as well as job characteristics like industry and the size or age of firms within the industry. This function is particularly useful for understanding the economic and demographic makeup of an area.

For those interested in learning where jobs or workers are concentrated, the Employment Concentration Analysis identifies areas with a high density of employment or residency. This can highlight major employment hubs or "hotspots," which are often of interest to businesses, planners, or researchers looking to understand the distribution of jobs or workers in a region.

One of OnTheMap’s most useful features is the Inflow/Outflow Analysis, which shows where workers are commuting to and from. This analysis divides workers into three groups: those who live and work in the area, those who commute into the area for work and those who live in the area but commute out for their jobs. As an example, the following section will be a tutorial of the Inflow/Out Analysis with a focus on West Valley City.

Running an Inflow/Outflow Analysis

To get started, navigate to the OnTheMap by clicking this link, navigating to the website via any web search engine, or the U.S. Census Bureau webpage. Additionally, links are available to the QWI Explorer and other related resources on the Department of Workforce Services’ website for economic data under the Related Labor Market Websites webpage. In the search bar, type in the desired area and click search. 

1. In the drop down, confirm the selection by clicking on the desired area.

2. OnTheMap will navigate to the desired area and highlight it for visibility. Click on "Perform analysis of selection area" to display a pop-up window of analysis settings. 

3. The Analysis Setting contains several selection options for data. 

• Home/Work Area setting determines whether the analysis focuses on where workers live (home) or where they are employed (work).
• Analysis Type gives the option to look at the area's workforce, compare it with others, analyze commuting distances and directions, or study worker inflow and outflow patterns.
• The Year setting allows users to select specific years of data for analysis. The most recent currently available is 2021, but historical years are an option as well.
• Job Type setting refines the scope of jobs analyzed, whether it includes all jobs, just primary jobs, only private sector jobs, or only private primary jobs.

For this tutorial, select "Inflow/Outflow" at the bottom and click Go. Note that the  Inflow/Outflow ignores the Home/Work choice since it shows both groups: workers commuting in as well as those commuting out.

4. The Inflow/Outflow Analysis page displays the commuting data for the desired area, with multiple options for downloading or exporting the data and map. 

• Detailed Report compiles charts of the data without a map.
• Export Geography generates a shapefile or csv of custom area selections (if applicable).
• Print Chart/Map creates a pdf file of the map and data.
• Save/load can be used to save, and later load, specific search settings, including geography.

In the above example of private sector primary job holders in West Valley City, 8,106 both live and work in West Valley City. About 53,000 live outside of West Valley City but are employed in the city and 46,000 workers live in West Valley City but work outside the city. 

OnTheMap is a highly versatile and accessible tool for exploring workforce trends, commuting patterns and demographic data. Whether it's being used for educational purposes, community planning or to better understand local job trends, OnTheMap offers a wealth of information in an easy-to-use format. Data for LODES is updated annually.