Jobs, income and commuting in Ellendale, MN
Only 3% work in Ellendale itself; outside it, Owatonna draws the most (28%, 16 miles). The average commute takes 27 minutes each way, next to 23 for Minnesota and 26 for the U.S. Ellendale has 198 jobs, against 319 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Ellendale apart on work
Where Ellendale goes to work
Where Ellendale clocks in
28% of workers
16% of workers
8% 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 commute in and out of Ellendale
On a workday 311 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 190 people come in from elsewhere.
About 540 people are in Ellendale on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.62 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What Ellendale’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ellendale, 2013 → 2023: 163 → 198. 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 Ellendale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 27 minutes each way, longer than most of Minnesota
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ellendale workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 392 commuters (the 12% 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.
How many miles Ellendale commutes
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 Ellendale
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ellendale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellendale | – | — | — | 27 min | $89,375 |
| Berlin Township | under 1% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Summit Township | under 1% | — | — | 29 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Berlin Township and Summit Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ellendale’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 Ellendale: questions
What is the median household income in Ellendale?
$89,375 (±$17,474) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ellendale?
2.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ellendale?
27 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ellendale work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Owatonna (28%, 16 mi), Blooming Prairie (16%, 12 mi), Austin (8%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Ellendale without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ellendale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ellendale
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.