Norseland General Store · Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Making a living in Lake Prairie Township
Working residents average 24 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 9% of workers have no commute at all; Minnesota has 18%. Hardly any stay in Lake Prairie Township for work; outside it, Mankato is the main destination (25%, 17 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The workday shuffle in and out of Lake Prairie Township
On a workday 271 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 232 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 (0.86 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.
Where people from Lake Prairie Township work
Where Lake Prairie Township clocks in
25% 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.
A place that makes things: 54% of Lake Prairie Township’s jobs are in goods
233 jobs are based in Lake Prairie Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Prairie Township, 2014 → 2024: 211 → 233. 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 Lake Prairie Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 24 minutes from Lake Prairie Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Prairie Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 345 commuters (the 9% 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 far Lake Prairie Township goes to work
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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Lake Prairie Township and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Prairie Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Prairie Township | – | — | — | 24 min | $100,536 |
| Ottawa Township | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Traverse Township | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| New Sweden Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Henderson Township | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Kelso Township | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Ottawa Township, Traverse Township, New Sweden Township, Henderson Township and Kelso Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lake Prairie Township’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 Lake Prairie Township: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Prairie Township?
$100,536 (±$10,362) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Prairie Township?
5.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Prairie Township?
24 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake Prairie Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Mankato (25%, 17 mi), St. Peter (22%, 7 mi), North Mankato (11%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Lake Prairie Township 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 Prairie Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Prairie Township
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.