Household incomes in Helena Township are higher than in 96% of U.S. towns
The average commute takes 25 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. Below the poverty line: 1.0% of residents (Minnesota 9.3%). Helena Township grades A+ for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Helena Township in brief
Helena Township is a place people come home to
There are 120 jobs based in Helena Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Helena Township has about 1,100 people in it, 38% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Helena Township and New Prague trade workers both ways
New Prague is the top workplace for Helena Township residents (20%) and also where the most people who work in Helena Township come from (29% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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 804 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Helena Township
On income, poverty and job access, Helena Township is better than 98% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 68% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
Unemployment (2.3%) is left out: Helena Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Helena Township stays A+.
Who leaves Helena Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 800 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 116 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Helena Township on a workday afternoon, 38% fewer than live here.
0.15 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.
20% of working residents work in New Prague
Where Helena Township clocks in
7% of workers
5% 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.
Goods jobs make up 30% of work in Helena Township
120 jobs are based in Helena Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Helena Township, 2013 → 2023: 283 → 120. 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 Helena Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Helena Township: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Helena Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 713 commuters (the 21% 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 in the region Helena Township works
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 commute in Helena Township is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Helena Township is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Helena Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 898 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.3% of Helena Township households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Helena Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,300 to 2,400, Helena Township ranks 95th of 5,343 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Medicine Lake MN | 1,342 | $184K | 2.7% | 0.0% | 0% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Louisville Township MN | 1,361 | $143K | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Tonka Bay MN | 1,561 | $156K | 3.5% | 9.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | The Hills TX | 2,322 | $158K | 3.6% | 2.2% | 1% | A+ |
| 94 | Biltmore Forest NC | 1,469 | $169K | 2.0% | 2.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 95 | Helena Township MN | 1,812 | $156K | 1.0% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 96 | Lowhill Township PA | 2,331 | $144K | 2.7% | 1.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 97 | McMillin WA | 1,348 | $141K | 2.3% | 4.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,343 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Helena Township, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Next door is work for 20% of Helena Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Helena Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helena Township | – | A+ | C+ | 25 min | $156,000 |
| New Prague | 20% | A | A− | 24 min | $94,539 |
| Sand Creek Township | under 3% | A | C+ | 28 min | $101,023 |
| Cedar Lake Township | under 3% | A | D | 32 min | $173,500 |
| Belle Plaine Township | under 3% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Belle Plaine Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to New Prague. Darker towns draw more of Helena Township’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 Helena Township: questions
What is the median household income in Helena Township?
$156,000 (±$22,297) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Helena Township?
1.0%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Helena Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 21% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Helena Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Prague (20%, 3 mi), Shakopee (7%, 14 mi), Burnsville (5%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Helena Township walkable?
Helena Township is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Helena Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Helena Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Helena Township
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.