Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Making a living in Lake Park
Working residents average 28 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 2% of workers have no commute at all, next to 18% for Minnesota as a whole. Only 3% stay in Lake Park for work; outside it, Detroit Lakes is the main destination (19%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Lake Park: the figures worth knowing
A lot of Lake Park workers cross into North Dakota
28% of Lake Park workers work outside Minnesota, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Fargo (17%) and West Fargo (2%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Lake Park than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Lake Park fell from 350 in 2013 to 197 in 2023, −44%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Few Lake Park workers work from home
Only 2% of workers work from home, against 18% across Minnesota. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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 272 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where the trip to work from Lake Park ends
Where Lake Park clocks in
19% of workers
17% of workers
7% 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.
69% of the jobs in Lake Park pay over $3,333 a month
197 jobs are based in Lake Park.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Park, 2013 → 2023: 350 → 197. 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 Park’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Lake Park spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Park workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 313 commuters (the 2% 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.
A workday in Lake Park: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 263 residents head out to work, 9 work right here, and 188 people come in from elsewhere.
About 640 people are in Lake Park on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.72 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.
The commute from Lake Park, by distance
About 20% 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 Lake Park
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Park workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Park | – | — | — | 28 min | $64,028 |
| Lake Park Township | 3% | — | — | 34 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Park Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Lake Park Township. Darker towns draw more of Lake Park’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 Park: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Park?
$64,028 (±$17,454) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Park?
4.6%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Park?
28 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake Park work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit Lakes (19%, 13 mi), Fargo (17%, 35 mi), Moorhead (7%, 31 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lake Park without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lake Park, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Park
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.