Jobs and the daily commute in Houston
About one in five work in Houston; the top destination outside it is La Crosse (15%, 18 miles). Working from home is the commute for 10% of workers, where Minnesota as a whole has 18%. Commuters spend 28 minutes getting to work on average, where Minnesota has 23 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Houston stands out on work
A lot of Houston workers cross into Wisconsin
31% of Houston workers work outside Minnesota, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, La Crosse (15%) and Onalaska (3%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Houston workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. 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 452 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where the trip to work from Houston ends
Where Houston clocks in
15% of workers
15% of workers
6% 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.
From Houston, about 28 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Houston workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 388 commuters (the 10% 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.
Houston by day and by night
On a workday 371 residents head out to work, 81 work right here, and 533 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Houston on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.36 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
614 jobs are based in Houston.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Houston, 2013 → 2023: 580 → 614. 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 Houston’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Houston’s commute, mile by mile
About 17% 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 Houston
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Houston workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | – | — | — | 28 min | $55,759 |
| Houston Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Houston Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Houston’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 Houston: questions
What is the median household income in Houston?
$55,759 (±$4,963) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Houston?
19.4%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Houston?
28 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Houston work?
18% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are La Crosse (15%, 18 mi), Winona (15%, 21 mi), Rochester (6%, 49 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Houston without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Houston, from the people who make the trip.
More of Houston
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.