Edward Erickson Farmstead · Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Athens Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each
Hardly any work in Athens Township; the top destination outside it is Cambridge (8%, 9 miles). There are 257 jobs in Athens Township for 1,076 working residents. Athens Township grades A− for jobs and income and C− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Athens Township
Athens Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Athens Township is a place people come home to
There are 257 jobs based in Athens Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Athens Township has about 1,400 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Athens Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Athens Township is better than 77% of U.S. towns. Unemployment is its strongest input (2.2%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (8.8%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Athens Township could be anywhere from B to A.
About 31 minutes each way for Athens Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Athens Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 920 commuters (the 14% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Athens Township
On a workday 1,066 residents head out to work, 10 work right here, and 247 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in Athens Township on a workday afternoon, 38% 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 Athens Township goes to work
Where Athens Township clocks in
8% of workers
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.
In Athens Township, 53% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Athens Township, 2013 → 2023: 131 → 257. 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 Athens Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from Athens Township
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.
Athens Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Athens Township is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 1.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.7% across Minnesota, on an EPA index of 4.0.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,064 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.6% of Athens Township households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Athens Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Athens Township is 856th of 5,404 U.S. towns of 1,500 to 2,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Tonka Bay MN | 1,561 | $156K | 3.5% | 9.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | May Township MN | 2,638 | $137K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Stillwater Township MN | 1,831 | $162K | 3.4% | 3.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 854 | East Washington PA | 1,814 | $91K | 7.9% | 1.7% | 1% | A− |
| 855 | Panhandle TX | 2,288 | $86K | 5.8% | 0.2% | 7% | A− |
| 856 | Athens Township MN | 2,175 | $88K | 8.8% | 2.2% | 1% | A− |
| 857 | Wakefield Township MN | 2,829 | $108K | 4.0% | 4.0% | 6% | A− |
| 858 | Brown Township IN | 1,670 | $102K | 4.7% | 0.8% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,404 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Athens Township, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Work in the towns next to Athens Township
The biggest share goes to Isanti (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Athens Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Township | – | A− | C− | 31 min | $87,917 |
| Stanford Township | under 2% | A− | D | 30 min | $104,107 |
| St. Francis | 2% | A | C | 32 min | $111,198 |
| Isanti | 3% | A | B+ | 28 min | $87,500 |
| Oxford Township | under 2% | A | D | 38 min | $119,423 |
| East Bethel | under 2% | A | C− | 32 min | $110,000 |
| Isanti Township | under 2% | A− | C− | 32 min | $98,341 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Athens 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 Athens Township: questions
What is the median household income in Athens Township?
$87,917 (±$9,860) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Athens Township?
8.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Athens Township?
31 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Athens Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cambridge (8%, 9 mi), Minneapolis (6%, 32 mi), Blaine (4%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Athens Township walkable?
Athens Township is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 4.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Athens Township without a car?
1% 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 Athens Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Athens 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.