Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0Most of Knife River commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
Employers in Knife River report 13 jobs, against 104 working residents. Hardly any work in Knife River itself; outside it, Two Harbors draws the most (26%, 8 miles). Below the poverty line: 10.7% of residents; Minnesota has 9.3%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in Knife River: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 104 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 13 people come in from elsewhere.
About 40 people are in Knife River on a workday afternoon, 69% 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.
Where Knife River’s working residents head each day
Where Knife River clocks in
26% of workers
26% of workers
8% 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.
Knife River works in goods: 69% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
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 Knife River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Knife River 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.
Knife River and the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Knife River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knife River | – | — | — | — | $78,208 |
| Duluth Township | under 1% | B+ | C− | 29 min | $116,146 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Knife River’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 Knife River: questions
What is the median household income in Knife River?
$78,208 (±$21,737) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Knife River?
10.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Knife River work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Two Harbors (26%, 8 mi), Duluth (26%, 20 mi), Silver Creek Township (8%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Knife River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Knife River
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.