Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Fewer people are out of work in Cambridge (3.4%) than in 63% of U.S. towns
Cambridge grades B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. About one in four stay in Cambridge for work; outside it, Minneapolis is the main destination (7%, 41 miles). 11% of workers work from home, where Minnesota as a whole has 18%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Cambridge, in brief
No single place dominates Cambridge’s commute
The biggest draw, Minneapolis, gets only 7% of working residents, and 50% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Cambridge residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
The quickest commute around
Cambridge’s 28-minute average trip is shorter than in any town next door, where it runs from 31 to 33 minutes. Next door ↓
Cambridge workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Cambridge draws workers from far and wide
The 6,316 jobs in Cambridge are filled from a wide area. Cambridge’s own residents hold 18% and the ten next-biggest home towns 26%; the other 56% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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 Cambridge
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Cambridge is better than 51% of U.S. towns, #195 of 273 in Minnesota. Unemployment holds Cambridge’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($69,154, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Cambridge could be anywhere from C to B+.
Out of Cambridge to work: where people go
Where Cambridge clocks in
7% of workers
4% 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.
How long Cambridge spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cambridge workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,391 commuters (the 11% 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 flow of workers through Cambridge
On a workday 3,607 residents head out to work, 1,109 work right here, and 5,207 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in Cambridge on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.34 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Jobs in Cambridge: what the 6,316 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cambridge, 2013 → 2023: 5,606 → 6,316. 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 Cambridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Cambridge, by distance
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.
Cambridge is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Cambridge is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns, #39 of 273 in Minnesota. Both inputs place Cambridge near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,916 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). 9.1% of Cambridge households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Cambridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Cambridge is 1,487th among 2,507 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Albertville MN | 8,544 | $133K | 1.1% | 0.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 12 | Mendota Heights MN | 11,475 | $133K | 2.8% | 1.4% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Victoria MN | 12,447 | $196K | 2.1% | 1.8% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,485 | North Versailles Township PA | 9,587 | $53K | 18.1% | 2.3% | 4% | B− |
| 1,486 | Ocean Township NJ | 9,314 | $101K | 9.0% | 7.9% | 6% | B− |
| 1,487 | Cambridge MN | 11,090 | $69K | 10.5% | 3.4% | 24% | B− |
| 1,488 | Aberdeen NC | 10,066 | $75K | 10.5% | 3.7% | 10% | B− |
| 1,489 | Hutchins TX | 8,206 | $48K | 18.9% | 2.5% | 4% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Cambridge, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Cambridge and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cambridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | – | B− | A | 28 min | $69,154 |
| Isanti Township | under 2% | A− | C− | 32 min | $98,341 |
| Cambridge Township | under 2% | B+ | C+ | 33 min | $107,841 |
| Springvale Township | under 2% | A− | D | 31 min | $104,167 |
| Bradford Township | under 2% | B− | C | 31 min | $92,574 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cambridge’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 Cambridge: questions
What is the median household income in Cambridge?
$69,154 (±$5,981) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cambridge?
10.5%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cambridge?
28 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Cambridge work?
24% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (7%, 41 mi), Isanti (4%, 5 mi), St. Paul (4%, 43 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Cambridge walkable?
Cambridge is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Cambridge without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cambridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cambridge
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.