Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Foster Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded–Not graded
Jobs & commute in Foster Township

Jobs, pay and the trip to work in Foster Township

Working residents average 28 minutes each way (Minnesota 23, U.S. 26). Hardly any stay in Foster Township for work; outside it, Browns Valley is the main destination (13%, 12 miles). Employers in Foster Township report 20 jobs, against 32 working residents.

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

Foster Township by day and by night

On a workday 32 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 20 people come in from elsewhere.

32live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
20work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night120
Workday110
120live here− 32head out to work+ 20come in to work= 110on a workday

About 110 people are in Foster Township on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.63jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

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 2023, primary jobs.

The commute map

Where Foster Township goes to work

Beardsley: 1 residents work here (3%)Chokio: 1 residents work here (3%)Graceville: 3 residents work here (9%)Bingham LakeBrowns Valley: 4 residents work here (13%)HollandOdessa: 1 residents work here (3%)Clinton: 2 residents work here (6%)Wheaton: 1 residents work here (3%)LuverneOrtonville: 3 residents work here (9%)PipestoneMorrisElk RiverMilbank: 2 residents work here (6%)BrookingsWatertownDarnen Township: 2 residents work here (6%)Prior TownshipBrowns Valley TownshipFoster TownshipGeneseo TownshipLake TownshipBrowns ValleyGracevilleOrtonvilleClintonMilbankDarnen TownshipFoster Township
1
Browns Valley12 mi away
13%4
2
Graceville13.3 mi away
9%3
3
Ortonville15.7 mi away
9%3
4
Clinton10.9 mi away
6%2
5
Milbank, SD17 mi away
6%2
6
Darnen Township35.4 mi away
6%2
7
Beardsley6.8 mi away
3%1
8
Chokio25.1 mi away
3%1
9
Odessa21.5 mi away
3%1
10
Wheaton24.9 mi away
3%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
38%12
The top trips

Where Foster Township clocks in

Lines 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 jobs

75% of the jobs in Foster Township pay over $3,333 a month

Jobs based in Foster TownshipJobs Foster Township residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms0%22%
Trade, transport & utilities95%16%
Services: health, schools, offices5%63%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less0%25%
$1,251–$3,333 a month25%16%
Over $3,333 a month75%59%

Who does it

29 or younger30%13%
30 to 5460%50%
55 and older10%38%
+400%

Jobs based in Foster Township, 2013 → 2023: 4 → 20. 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 Foster Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

The daily trip from Foster Township: about 28 minutes

A year of commuting
216 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Foster Township28 min
Minnesota23 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
13%

of Foster Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.

About 1 in 10
How Foster Township gets to work
84%Drive alone
4%Carpool
12%Walk

Share of the 49 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 far

The distance from Foster Township to work

10 mi25 mi40 miBrowns Valley: 13% · 12 miGraceville: 9% · 13.3 miOrtonville: 9% · 15.7 miClinton: 6% · 10.9 miMilbank: 6% · 17 miDarnen Township: 6% · 35.4 miBeardsley: 3% · 6.8 miChokio: 3% · 25.1 miOdessa: 3% · 21.5 miWheaton: 3% · 24.9 miBrowns Valley 13%Graceville 9%Ortonville 9%Clinton 6%Milbank 6%Foster Township
Foster TownshipTop destinations (size = commuters)
9%Under 10 mi3 residents
50%10–24 mi16 residents
16%25–50 mi5 residents
25%Over 50 mi8 residents

About 25% 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.

Next door

Next door to Foster Township

10%+5–9%2–4%1%Under 1%

Average commute minutes, one way

Geneseo Township15 min
Prior Township21 min
Browns Valley Township23 min
Lake Township24 min
Foster Township28 min

Jobs & commute next door

TownFoster Township workers thereJobs & incomeWalkabilityCommuteHousehold income
Foster Township–——28 min$86,250
Browns Valley Townshipunder 4%——23 min—
Prior Townshipunder 4%——21 min—

Same-state neighbors only. Browns Valley Township and Prior Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.

Darker towns draw more of Foster Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Foster Township: questions

What is the median household income in Foster Township?

$86,250 (±$26,567) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Foster Township?

5.4%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Foster Township?

28 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Foster Township work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Browns Valley (13%, 12 mi), Graceville (9%, 13 mi), Ortonville (9%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Foster Township 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 Foster Township, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Foster Township

Foster Township home →

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.