Work means Alexandria for more than half of Garfield’s working residents
Hardly any stay in Garfield for work; outside it, Alexandria is the main destination (55%, 7 miles). Working from home is the commute for 6% of workers, against 18% across Minnesota. The trip to work takes 19 minutes on average; Minnesota averages 23, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Garfield on a workday
On a workday 156 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 122 people come in from elsewhere.
About 310 people are in Garfield on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Garfield: the destinations
Where Garfield clocks in
55% of workers
2% 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.
Making and building: 58% of jobs based in Garfield
123 jobs are based in Garfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Garfield, 2013 → 2023: 28 → 123. 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 Garfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Garfield’s commute takes about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Garfield workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 133 commuters (the 6% 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.
Half of Garfield commutes less than 8 miles
About 23% 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 in the towns next to Garfield
The biggest share goes to La Grand Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Garfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield | – | — | — | 19 min | $56,696 |
| Ida Township | under 2% | B+ | C | 21 min | $103,250 |
| La Grand Township | 4% | B | C | 21 min | $94,122 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Garfield’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 Garfield: questions
What is the median household income in Garfield?
$56,696 (±$20,227) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Garfield?
2.1%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Garfield?
19 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Garfield work?
1% work in town.
Can you get around Garfield 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 Garfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Garfield
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.