Most of Fifty Lakes commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
Working residents average 27 minutes each way, next to 23 for Minnesota and 26 for the U.S. Employers in Fifty Lakes report 14 jobs, against 155 working residents. Hardly any work in Fifty Lakes; the top destination outside it is Crosslake (19%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Fifty Lakes, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 154 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 13 people come in from elsewhere.
About 320 people are in Fifty Lakes on a workday afternoon, 31% 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 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Fifty Lakes’ residents
Where Fifty Lakes clocks in
8% 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.
A place that makes things: 50% of Fifty Lakes’ jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Fifty Lakes, 2013 → 2023: 10 → 14. 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 Fifty Lakes’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 27 minutes in Fifty Lakes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Fifty Lakes workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 111 commuters (the 17% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Fifty Lakes
About 36% 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 next door: 25% of Fifty Lakes’ workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Fifty Lakes workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fifty Lakes | – | — | — | 27 min | $84,615 |
| Manhattan Beach | under 2% | — | — | 48 min | — |
| Emily | 6% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Timothy Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Crosslake | 19% | B− | B+ | 29 min | $79,635 |
| Trelipe Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Manhattan Beach, Emily, Timothy Township and Trelipe Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Crosslake. Darker towns draw more of Fifty Lakes’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 Fifty Lakes: questions
What is the median household income in Fifty Lakes?
$84,615 (±$11,347) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Fifty Lakes?
10.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Fifty Lakes?
27 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Fifty Lakes work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Crosslake (19%, 6 mi), Brainerd (8%, 29 mi), Emily (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Fifty Lakes without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Fifty Lakes, from the people who make the trip.
More of Fifty Lakes
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.