For about two in five of its working residents, Alden is a commute to Albert Lea
Working from home is the commute for 6% of workers; Minnesota has 18%. Only 4% work in Alden itself; outside it, Albert Lea draws the most (41%, 10 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 20 minutes; Minnesota averages 23, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Alden
Where the trip to work from Alden ends
Where Alden clocks in
6% of workers
4% 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.
Who leaves Alden for work, and who comes in
On a workday 239 residents head out to work, 10 work right here, and 174 people come in from elsewhere.
About 510 people are in Alden on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.74 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The 184 jobs based in Alden
184 jobs are based in Alden.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alden, 2013 → 2023: 154 → 184. 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 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Alden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 20 minutes from Alden
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alden workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 339 commuters (the 6% who work from home are left out). Across Minnesota: 84% drive alone, 2% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Alden
About 24% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
How Alden compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alden workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alden | – | — | — | 20 min | $73,250 |
| Carlston Township | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Alden Township | under 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Carlston Township and Alden Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alden’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 2023, 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 Alden: questions
What is the median household income in Alden?
$73,250 (±$14,293) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alden?
4.5%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alden?
20 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alden work?
4% work in town.
Can you get around Alden without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alden
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, 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.