Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota · CC BY-SA 2.0Center City has 2.5 jobs for every working resident: 724 people commute in to work
Center City has 740 jobs for 296 working residents. Only 5% work in Center City; the top destination outside it is Minneapolis (11%, 37 miles). The trip to work takes 31 minutes on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Center City
Center City is where the jobs are
Center City has 740 jobs, 2.5 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 1,100 people are in town, 70% more than the 630 who live here. Day and night ↓
Center City’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Center City is Minneapolis, 37 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (34) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Center City workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 296 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Center City on a workday
On a workday 280 residents head out to work and 16 work right here.
About 1,100 people are in Center City on a workday afternoon, 70% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Center City’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Commuting from Center City: about 31 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Center City workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 268 commuters (the 18% 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 towns that send workers to Center City
Where Center City clocks in
11% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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 Center City
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Center City, 2014 → 2024: 636 → 740. 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 Center City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Center City and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Lindstrom (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Center City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center City | – | — | — | 31 min | $96,875 |
| Chisago Lake Township | under 3% | A | C | 30 min | $133,220 |
| Lindstrom | 8% | A− | C+ | 30 min | $98,226 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Center City’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 Center City: questions
What is the median household income in Center City?
$96,875 (±$8,885) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Center City?
4.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Center City?
31 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Center City work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (11%, 37 mi), Lindstrom (8%, 2 mi), Chisago City (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Center City without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and <1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Center City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Center City
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.