Photo: Elkman · CC BY-SA 3.0Ironton at work: jobs, income and the commute
Commuters spend 26 minutes getting to work on average, next to 23 for Minnesota and 26 for the U.S. Home is the office for 7% of workers, next to 18% for Minnesota as a whole. Only 4% work in Ironton itself; outside it, Brainerd draws the most (14%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Ironton
Half of Ironton commutes less than 15 miles
About 35% 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.
In and out of Ironton on a workday
On a workday 209 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 135 people come in from elsewhere.
About 490 people are in Ironton on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.66 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.
Where people from Ironton work
Where Ironton clocks in
14% of workers
12% 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.
In Ironton, services account for most jobs
143 jobs are based in Ironton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ironton, 2013 → 2023: 77 → 143. 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 Ironton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 26 minutes each way for Ironton’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ironton workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 251 commuters (the 7% 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.
12% of Ironton works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ironton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ironton | – | — | — | 26 min | $62,813 |
| Irondale Township | under 2% | B− | C | 29 min | $86,591 |
| Crosby | 12% | D | A− | 22 min | $41,554 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Crosby. Darker towns draw more of Ironton’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 Ironton: questions
What is the median household income in Ironton?
$62,813 (±$15,338) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ironton?
14.3%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ironton?
26 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ironton work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Brainerd (14%, 13 mi), Crosby (12%, 3 mi), Baxter (6%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Ironton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ironton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ironton
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.