Lake Benton has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.4 for each
11% of workers work from home, where Minnesota as a whole has 18%. 129 jobs are based in Lake Benton, against 323 working residents. Only 7% work in Lake Benton; the top destination outside it is Tyler (25%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Lake Benton, in brief
Where Lake Benton goes to work
Where Lake Benton clocks in
25% of workers
15% 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 and out of Lake Benton on a workday
On a workday 301 residents head out to work, 22 work right here, and 107 people come in from elsewhere.
About 480 people are in Lake Benton on a workday afternoon, 29% 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.
The kinds of work in Lake Benton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Benton, 2013 → 2023: 115 → 129. 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 Lake Benton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 23 minutes each way, about the MN average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Benton workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 342 commuters (the 11% 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.
Miles to work from Lake Benton
About 18% 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.
The towns around Lake Benton
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Benton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Benton | – | — | — | 23 min | $52,250 |
| Lake Benton Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Benton Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lake Benton’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 Lake Benton: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Benton?
$52,250 (±$17,805) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Benton?
21.2%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Benton?
23 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake Benton work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tyler (25%, 8 mi), Marshall (15%, 28 mi), Pipestone (6%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lake Benton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lake Benton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Benton
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.