Alton Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.1 for each
Hardly any stay in Alton Township for work; outside it, Waseca is the main destination (29%, 10 miles). Alton Township has 26 jobs, against 198 working residents. The trip to work takes 26 minutes on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Alton Township
On a workday 198 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 26 people come in from elsewhere.
About 250 people are in Alton Township on a workday afternoon, 41% 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 2023, primary jobs.
Where people from Alton Township work
Where Alton Township clocks in
15% of workers
7% 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.
In Alton Township, 58% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alton Township, 2013 → 2023: 47 → 26. 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 Alton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Alton Township’s commute takes about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alton Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 233 commuters (the 13% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Alton Township
About 20% 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.
Alton Township and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Township | – | — | — | 26 min | $108,750 |
| St. Mary Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| McPherson Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Janesville Township | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Freedom Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. St. Mary Township, McPherson Township, Janesville Township and Freedom Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alton Township’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 Alton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Alton Township?
$108,750 (±$20,029) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alton Township?
4.0%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alton Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alton Township work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waseca (29%, 10 mi), Owatonna (15%, 24 mi), Mankato (7%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Alton Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alton Township
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.