Photo: Peter Michael Grund (petermgrund as found on Flickr) · CC BY-SA 2.0Chisago City has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.5 for each
Household incomes here are higher than in 78% of U.S. towns. 1,590 jobs are based in Chisago City, and 2,944 of its residents work somewhere. Chisago City grades B+ for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Chisago City and work: the main findings
Chisago City’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Chisago City is Minneapolis, 33 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (286) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Chisago City workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Chisago City has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Chisago City went from 1,116 in 2014 to 1,590 in 2024, +42%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Chisago City’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chisago City is better than 72% of U.S. towns, #145 of 273 in Minnesota. The poverty rate holds Chisago City’s grade up (3.4%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down (7.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chisago City could be anywhere from B to A.
Near or far: the trip to work from Chisago City
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.
About 30 minutes each way for Chisago City’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chisago City workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,092 commuters (the 21% 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 kinds of work in Chisago City
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chisago City, 2014 → 2024: 1,116 → 1,590. 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 Chisago City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Chisago City quiets down on a workday
On a workday 2,752 residents head out to work, 192 work right here, and 1,398 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,600 people are in Chisago City on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer 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.
10% of working residents work in Minneapolis
Where Chisago City clocks in
10% of workers
7% 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.
Getting around Chisago City: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chisago City is more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns, #200 of 273 in Minnesota. Both inputs place Chisago City 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 2,635 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). 11.9% of Chisago City households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Chisago City’s commuters take a bus or train.
Chisago City places 1,072nd of 3,336 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Elko New Market MN | 5,300 | $152K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Hanover MN | 4,392 | $157K | 0.6% | 1.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 44 | Credit River MN | 5,644 | $143K | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,070 | Reed Township IL | 6,988 | $82K | 7.7% | 2.8% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,071 | Aptos CA | 6,404 | $134K | 5.9% | 5.4% | 9% | B+ |
| 1,072 | Chisago City MN | 5,955 | $102K | 3.4% | 7.5% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,073 | Forest Hills PA | 6,116 | $90K | 4.3% | 7.5% | 2% | B+ |
| 1,074 | Tuscola IL | 4,668 | $78K | 7.1% | 1.1% | 15% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,336 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 3% | 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 Chisago City, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Chisago City and its neighbors: 13% work next door
The biggest share goes to Forest Lake (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chisago City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chisago City | – | B+ | C+ | 30 min | $102,197 |
| Chisago Lake Township | under 3% | A | C | 30 min | $133,220 |
| Stacy | under 3% | A | B− | 29 min | $98,464 |
| Wyoming | 3% | A | C+ | 29 min | $107,565 |
| Forest Lake | 6% | A− | B+ | 24 min | $92,944 |
| Lindstrom | 4% | A− | C+ | 30 min | $98,226 |
| Scandia | under 3% | A+ | C− | 33 min | $101,953 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chisago 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 Chisago City: questions
What is the median household income in Chisago City?
$102,197 (±$15,666) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chisago City?
3.4%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chisago City?
30 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chisago City work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (10%, 33 mi), St. Paul (7%, 31 mi), Forest Lake (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Chisago City walkable?
Chisago City is more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chisago City without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chisago City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chisago 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. 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.