Gem Lake draws 677 commuters a day, with 3.0 jobs for every working resident
Only 1% stay in Gem Lake for work; outside it, Minneapolis is the main destination (15%, 13 miles). There are 680 jobs in Gem Lake; 229 of its residents have a job. For 33% of workers, the job is at home; Minnesota has 18%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Gem Lake
Gem Lake is where the jobs are
Gem Lake has 680 jobs, 3.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 960 people are in town, 88% more than the 510 who live here. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
52% of the jobs in Gem Lake are in trade, transport and utilities, against 17% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Home offices are common in Gem Lake
33% of Gem Lake workers work from home, against 18% across Minnesota. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 229 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who leaves Gem Lake for work, and who comes in
On a workday 226 residents head out to work and 3 work right here.
About 960 people are in Gem Lake on a workday afternoon, 88% more 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.
71% of the jobs in Gem Lake pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gem Lake, 2013 → 2023: 558 → 680. 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 Gem Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 19 minutes each way, quicker than most of Minnesota
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gem Lake workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 143 commuters (the 33% 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.
Where Gem Lake’s workforce comes from
Where Gem Lake clocks in
15% of workers
11% 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.
Half of Gem Lake commutes less than 10 miles
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.
13% of Gem Lake works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to White Bear Lake (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gem Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem Lake | – | — | — | 19 min | $124,583 |
| Vadnais Heights | 6% | A | B− | 23 min | $98,685 |
| White Bear Township | under 3% | A+ | B | 24 min | $128,963 |
| White Bear Lake | 7% | A− | B+ | 22 min | $83,554 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gem Lake’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 Gem Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Gem Lake?
$124,583 (±$29,668) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gem Lake?
3.1%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gem Lake?
19 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gem Lake work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (15%, 13 mi), St. Paul (11%, 8 mi), White Bear Lake (7%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Gem Lake without a car?
2% 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 Gem Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gem Lake
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.