Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Work and commuting in Carlton
Working residents average 22 minutes each way, about the same as across Minnesota. For 10% of workers, the job is at home, against 18% across Minnesota. Only 4% work in Carlton itself; outside it, Cloquet draws the most (30%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Carlton at work: what stands out
Where Carlton goes to work
Where Carlton clocks in
24% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Carlton
On a workday 441 residents head out to work, 19 work right here, and 650 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,200 people are in Carlton on a workday afternoon, 22% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.45 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.
Most jobs in Carlton are in services
669 jobs are based in Carlton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Carlton, 2013 → 2023: 690 → 669. 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 Carlton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Carlton: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Carlton workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 354 commuters (the 10% 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 Carlton
About 22% 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 Carlton
The biggest share goes to Thomson Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Carlton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlton | – | — | — | 22 min | $63,375 |
| Twin Lakes Township | under 2% | B+ | D− | 24 min | $105,272 |
| Thomson Township | 2% | A | C+ | 19 min | $119,338 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Carlton’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 Carlton: questions
What is the median household income in Carlton?
$63,375 (±$23,539) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Carlton?
6.0%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Carlton?
22 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Carlton work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cloquet (30%, 6 mi), Duluth (24%, 16 mi), Superior (4%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Carlton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Carlton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Carlton
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.