Rural Industrial Development and Commuting Patterns. Working Paper RID 73.15.

Information on the commuting patterns of the employees of a recently constructed manufacturing facility in north central Illinois is presented in this report. The subjects included 720 hourly workers and 300 salaried employees of a cold rolling mill. Data were obtained from the 1972 personnel records of the plant and were available for 98% of the employees. Air and road miles between residence and plant site were calculated. Major findings were that there is considerable variation in commuting distance among the employees and that the radius of the commuter field is very wide. It was noted that the income generated by the plant is dispersed over a wide area, which is desirable for the region but may pose problems for the host community. (PS)