Photo: Ry Fryy · Public domainHouseholds in Hanover earn more than those in 96% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 0.6% of residents (Minnesota 9.3%). For jobs and income Hanover is among the top U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (C−). Home is the office for 27% of workers, next to 18% for Minnesota as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Hanover, in brief
Jobs in Hanover have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Hanover went from 362 in 2013 to 733 in 2023, +102%. The jobs ↓
Hanover workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Home offices are common in Hanover
27% of Hanover workers work from home, against 18% across Minnesota. Time on the road ↓
Hanover’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Hanover is Minneapolis, 24 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (217) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Hanover
74% of Hanover residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 56% of the jobs based in Hanover pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 98% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Where Hanover’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Hanover is among the top U.S. towns, #8 of 273 in Minnesota. The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 83% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Hanover stays A+.
Goods, not services: 30% of the jobs in Hanover
733 jobs are based in Hanover.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hanover, 2013 → 2023: 362 → 733. 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 Hanover’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 31 minutes in Hanover
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hanover workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,463 commuters (the 27% 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 Hanover commutes less than 18 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.
The daily commute in and out of Hanover
On a workday 1,964 residents head out to work, 39 work right here, and 694 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,100 people are in Hanover on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.37 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.
11% of working residents work in Minneapolis
Where Hanover clocks in
11% of workers
7% 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.
Getting around Hanover: mostly by car
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,016 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.4% of Hanover households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Hanover’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Hanover is 28th of 3,908 U.S. towns of 3,100 to 5,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Independence MN | 3,763 | $187K | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Deephaven MN | 3,794 | $198K | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 17 | Elko New Market MN | 5,300 | $152K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| 27 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 28 | Hanover MN | 4,392 | $157K | 0.6% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 29 | Edgmont Township PA | 4,706 | $137K | 2.4% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| 30 | Hampton MD | 5,372 | $171K | 3.8% | 0.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,908 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Hanover, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Bordering towns draw 10% of Hanover’s workers
The biggest share goes to St. Michael (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hanover workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover | – | A+ | C− | 31 min | $156,536 |
| Rockford Township | under 3% | A | C+ | 35 min | $93,378 |
| Greenfield | under 3% | A+ | C− | 33 min | $153,750 |
| St. Michael | 6% | A+ | C | 29 min | $131,274 |
| Rogers | 4% | A+ | B− | 25 min | $158,750 |
| Corcoran | under 3% | A+ | C− | 25 min | $133,423 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hanover’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 Hanover: questions
What is the median household income in Hanover?
$156,536 (±$14,295) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hanover?
0.6%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hanover?
31 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hanover work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (11%, 24 mi), Maple Grove (7%, 10 mi), Plymouth (6%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Hanover walkable?
Hanover is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hanover without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hanover, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hanover
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.