Baker, Alexander, School and E.W. Backus Junior High School · Photo: BackusAB · CC BY-SA 4.0At 7.7%, unemployment in International Falls is higher than in 87% of U.S. towns
More than half stay in International Falls for work; outside it, Virginia is the main destination (3%, 84 miles). The two grades for International Falls are D for jobs and income and A for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 77% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets International Falls apart on work
Commutes from International Falls are quick
The average trip to work takes 9 minutes, against 23 across Minnesota. That’s about 107 hours a year less on the road than the typical Minnesota worker. Time on the road ↓
Most jobs in International Falls go to people who live here
Of the 2,908 jobs based in International Falls, 50% are held by International Falls residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in International Falls
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, International Falls is better than 10% of U.S. towns, #268 of 273 in Minnesota. The poverty rate holds International Falls’ grade up (13.3%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 11% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, International Falls could be anywhere from D− to C.
Time on the road from International Falls: about 9 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 2.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of International Falls workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,095 commuters (the 14% 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.
How many people are in International Falls by day
On a workday 931 residents head out to work, 1,464 work right here, and 1,444 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.21 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Miles to work from International Falls
About 30% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Where International Falls goes to work
Where International Falls clocks in
3% of workers
2% 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.
Inside International Falls’ 2,908 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in International Falls, 2014 → 2024: 3,550 → 2,908. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs International Falls’s own residents hold wherever they work.
International Falls is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, International Falls is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #46 of 273 in Minnesota. Both inputs place International Falls 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 2,440 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). 13.1% of International Falls households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of International Falls’ commuters take a bus or train.
International Falls and other U.S. towns of 3,800 to 7,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Elko New Market MN | 5,300 | $152K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Hanover MN | 4,392 | $157K | 0.6% | 1.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | West Lakeland Township MN | 3,931 | $216K | 3.8% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,312 | Wellsville NY | 4,504 | $55K | 19.9% | 6.0% | 24% | D |
| 3,313 | Warren Township OH | 5,554 | $53K | 23.0% | 5.2% | 24% | D |
| 3,314 | International Falls MN | 5,481 | $58K | 13.3% | 7.7% | 61% | D |
| 3,315 | Hudson NY | 5,721 | $54K | 28.2% | 7.7% | 24% | D |
| 3,316 | Franklin Township IN | 7,070 | $45K | 24.0% | 8.2% | 10% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 3,612 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 International Falls, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Work in the towns next to International Falls
The biggest share goes to Ranier (1%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | International Falls workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Falls | – | D | A | 9 min | $57,662 |
| Ranier | 1% | — | — | 11 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Ranier: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of International Falls’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 2024, 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 International Falls: questions
What is the median household income in International Falls?
$57,662 (±$5,069) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in International Falls?
13.3%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from International Falls?
9 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in International Falls work?
61% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Virginia (3%, 84 mi), Littlefork (2%, 15 mi), Bemidji (2%, 102 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is International Falls walkable?
International Falls is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around International Falls without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 13% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from International Falls, from the people who make the trip.
More of International Falls
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.