Photo: davumaya · CC BY-SA 2.0Household incomes in Burnsville are higher than in 65% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 4.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 26.2 in Minneapolis. The poverty rate is 10.8% (Minnesota 9.3%). Burnsville grades B+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Burnsville at work: what stands out
Income, poverty and work: Burnsville’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Burnsville is better than 66% of U.S. towns, #161 of 273 in Minnesota. Job access by car holds Burnsville’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Burnsville could be anywhere from B to A−.
A workday in Burnsville: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 24,998 residents head out to work, 3,841 work right here, and 29,076 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.14 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
13% of working residents work in Minneapolis
Where Burnsville clocks in
13% of workers
9% 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.
The jobs
32,917 jobs are based in Burnsville.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burnsville, 2014 → 2024: 31,502 → 32,917. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Burnsville’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Burnsville, about 23 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burnsville workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 27,277 commuters (the 17% 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 Burnsville
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Good to walk, short on transit: Burnsville
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Burnsville is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns, #104 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 32,876 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 53% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 13% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 4.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 84% 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). 5.6% of Burnsville households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Burnsville’s commuters take a bus or train.
Burnsville is 332nd of 661 U.S. towns of 46,000 to 88,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Maple Grove MN | 73,893 | $133K | 4.0% | 3.5% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 330 | Fountainebleau FL | 55,665 | $65K | 12.7% | 2.5% | 3% | B+ |
| 331 | Oak Lawn IL | 56,450 | $84K | 9.6% | 5.4% | 8% | B+ |
| 332 | Burnsville MN | 65,244 | $87K | 10.8% | 5.0% | 13% | B+ |
| 333 | Irondequoit NY | 50,180 | $79K | 9.2% | 4.4% | 9% | B+ |
| 334 | Beaumont CA | 60,835 | $107K | 10.0% | 4.9% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 661 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 27% | 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 Burnsville, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
The towns next door employ 21% of Burnsville
The biggest share goes to Bloomington (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Burnsville workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnsville | – | B+ | A− | 23 min | $87,024 |
| Bloomington | 9% | B+ | A | 21 min | $93,211 |
| Apple Valley | 3% | A | A | 25 min | $97,673 |
| Savage | under 3% | A− | B− | 25 min | $125,513 |
| Lakeville | 3% | A+ | B | 24 min | $139,041 |
| Eagan | 6% | A | A− | 21 min | $108,690 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Burnsville’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 2024, 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 Burnsville: questions
What is the median household income in Burnsville?
$87,024 (±$4,297) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burnsville?
10.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burnsville?
23 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burnsville work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (13%, 14 mi), Bloomington (9%, 5 mi), St. Paul (6%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Burnsville walkable?
Burnsville is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 10.5 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Burnsville without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 13% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Burnsville, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burnsville
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.