With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Wahpeton works elsewhere
Hardly any stay in Wahpeton for work; outside it, Spirit Lake is the main destination (22%, 4 miles). There are 39 jobs in Wahpeton, against 135 working residents. 19% of workers have no commute at all (Iowa 11%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Wahpeton quiets down on a workday
On a workday 134 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 38 people come in from elsewhere.
About 240 people are in Wahpeton on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The places Wahpeton commutes to
Where Wahpeton clocks in
22% of workers
13% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The kinds of work in Wahpeton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wahpeton, 2014 → 2024: 46 → 39. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Wahpeton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 16 minutes from Wahpeton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wahpeton workers work from home, vs 11% across Iowa. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 156 commuters (the 19% who work from home are left out). Across Iowa: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where in the region Wahpeton works
About 23% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The towns around Wahpeton
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wahpeton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahpeton | – | — | — | 16 min | $107,917 |
| West Okoboji | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. West Okoboji: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Wahpeton’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Wahpeton: questions
What is the median household income in Wahpeton?
$107,917 (±$48,548) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,059 across Iowa and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wahpeton?
5.7%, against 11.1% across Iowa and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wahpeton?
16 minutes each way on average, against 20 across Iowa and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wahpeton work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Spirit Lake (22%, 4 mi), Milford (13%, 2 mi), Spencer (7%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Wahpeton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wahpeton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wahpeton
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.