Photo: Michel Curi · CC BY 2.0Hardwick has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
There are 14 jobs in Hardwick, against 68 working residents. Hardly any stay in Hardwick for work; outside it, Luverne is the main destination (32%, 8 miles). Commuters spend 27 minutes getting to work on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Hardwick
On a workday 68 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 14 people come in from elsewhere.
About 130 people are in Hardwick on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer 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.
Out of Hardwick to work: where people go
Where Hardwick clocks in
32% 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.
What Hardwick’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hardwick, 2013 → 2023: 106 → 14. 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 Hardwick’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Hardwick: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hardwick workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 99 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.
The distance from Hardwick to work
About 24% 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.
How Hardwick compares with the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hardwick workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwick | – | — | — | 27 min | $39,327 |
| Denver Township | under 2% | — | — | 37 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Denver Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hardwick’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 Hardwick: questions
What is the median household income in Hardwick?
$39,327 (±$13,450) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hardwick?
15.3%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hardwick?
27 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hardwick work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Luverne (32%, 8 mi), Sioux Falls (15%, 31 mi), Edgerton (7%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Hardwick without a car?
0% 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 Hardwick, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hardwick
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.