Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0At 0.9%, unemployment in Barnesville is lower than in 95% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Barnesville are A for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. 7% of workers work from home, next to 18% for Minnesota as a whole. Measured by household income, Barnesville is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Barnesville and work: the main findings
Many Barnesville workers cross into North Dakota
48% of Barnesville workers work outside Minnesota, most of them in North Dakota, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
38% of Barnesville works in Fargo
487 working residents, 38%, have their main job in Fargo, ND, 25 miles away. That’s 3 times as many as work in Barnesville itself. The commute map ↓
Barnesville has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Barnesville went from 488 in 2013 to 694 in 2023, +42%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Barnesville’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Barnesville is better than 89% of U.S. towns, #78 of 273 in Minnesota. The poverty rate holds Barnesville’s grade up (1.8%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 43% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Barnesville could be anywhere from A− to A.
38% of working residents work in Fargo
Where Barnesville clocks in
38% of workers
11% of workers
5% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Barnesville
694 jobs are based in Barnesville.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Barnesville, 2013 → 2023: 488 → 694. 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 Barnesville’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Barnesville on a workday
On a workday 1,120 residents head out to work, 162 work right here, and 532 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,200 people are in Barnesville on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.54 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 trip to work from Barnesville: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Barnesville workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,332 commuters (the 7% 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.
Miles to work from Barnesville
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.
Few in Barnesville walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Barnesville is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns, #138 of 273 in Minnesota. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.7% across Minnesota, on an EPA index of 7.0.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,429 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.6% of Barnesville households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Barnesville’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,900 to 3,700, Barnesville ranks 395th of 4,969 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Greenfield MN | 2,962 | $154K | 1.2% | 0.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Empire MN | 3,063 | $148K | 1.9% | 0.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | May Township MN | 2,638 | $137K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 393 | Benton Township KS | 2,350 | $97K | 5.9% | 1.4% | 2% | A |
| 394 | Meadowdale WA | 3,009 | $174K | 6.2% | 3.9% | 1% | A |
| 395 | Barnesville MN | 2,767 | $98K | 1.8% | 0.9% | 13% | A |
| 396 | Lafayette WI | 2,077 | $112K | 7.2% | 1.2% | 2% | A |
| 397 | Oshkosh WI | 2,436 | $103K | 5.6% | 2.2% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,969 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Barnesville, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Work in the towns next to Barnesville
The biggest share goes to Barnesville Township (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Barnesville workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnesville | – | A | B+ | 26 min | $97,917 |
| Humboldt Township | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Barnesville Township | 1% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Humboldt Township and Barnesville Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Barnesville’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 Barnesville: questions
What is the median household income in Barnesville?
$97,917 (±$12,101) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Barnesville?
1.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Barnesville?
26 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Barnesville work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fargo (38%, 24 mi), Moorhead (11%, 22 mi), West Fargo (5%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Barnesville walkable?
Barnesville is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Barnesville without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Barnesville, from the people who make the trip.
More of Barnesville
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.