Earning a living in Fort Ripley
Fort Ripley has 26 jobs, against 41 working residents. Hardly any stay in Fort Ripley for work; outside it, Brainerd is the main destination (24%, 15 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 18 minutes (Minnesota 23, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Fort Ripley quiets down on a workday
On a workday 41 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 26 people come in from elsewhere.
About 68 people are in Fort Ripley on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.63 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 2024, primary jobs.
Where the trip to work from Fort Ripley ends
Where Fort Ripley clocks in
24% 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.
Most jobs in Fort Ripley are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Fort Ripley, 2014 → 2024: 17 → 26. 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 Fort Ripley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Fort Ripley: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Fort Ripley workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 23 commuters (the 15% 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 Fort Ripley commutes
About 34% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Next door to Fort Ripley
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Fort Ripley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Ripley | – | — | — | 18 min | $53,542 |
| Cushing Township | under 3% | — | — | 36 min | — |
| Fort Ripley Township | under 3% | C | C | 31 min | $75,000 |
| Ripley Township | under 3% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Cushing Township and Ripley Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Fort Ripley’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 Fort Ripley: questions
What is the median household income in Fort Ripley?
$53,542 (±$21,179) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Fort Ripley?
2.9%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Fort Ripley?
18 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Fort Ripley work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Brainerd (24%, 15 mi), Baxter (22%, 13 mi), Mounds View (5%, 92 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Fort Ripley without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Fort Ripley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Fort Ripley
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.