Photo: Travellers & Tinkers · CC BY-SA 4.0Making a living in Barrett
A typical one-way commute lasts 31 minutes, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. Only 7% stay in Barrett for work; outside it, Morris is the main destination (13%, 23 miles). Barrett has 264 jobs; 174 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How many people are in Barrett by day
On a workday 161 residents head out to work, 13 work right here, and 251 people come in from elsewhere.
About 460 people are in Barrett on a workday afternoon, 24% more than live here.
1.5 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where Barrett’s workers come from
Where Barrett clocks in
13% of workers
11% of workers
6% 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.
Most jobs in Barrett are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Barrett, 2013 → 2023: 234 → 264. 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 Barrett’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 31 minutes each way for Barrett’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Barrett workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 132 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.
The distance from Barrett to work
About 19% 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.
Work in the towns next to Barrett
The biggest share goes to Elk Lake Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Barrett workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrett | – | — | — | 31 min | $60,000 |
| Lien Township | under 3% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Elk Lake Township | 3% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lien Township and Elk Lake Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Barrett’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 Barrett: questions
What is the median household income in Barrett?
$60,000 (±$26,169) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Barrett?
7.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Barrett?
31 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Barrett work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Morris (13%, 23 mi), Alexandria (11%, 26 mi), Elbow Lake (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Barrett without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Barrett, from the people who make the trip.
More of Barrett
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.