Photo: 123dieinafire · Public domainLexington has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.5 for each
Lexington grades B+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. There are 579 jobs in Lexington for 1,217 working residents. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 0.7 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 26.2 in Minneapolis.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Lexington stands out on work
The better-paid jobs are outside Lexington
62% of Lexington residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 30% of the jobs based in Lexington pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Lexington pay little
35% of the jobs based in Lexington pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 42% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Lexington
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Lexington is better than 68% of U.S. towns, #157 of 273 in Minnesota. Job access by car holds Lexington’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Lexington could be anywhere from B− to A.
The kinds of work in Lexington
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lexington, 2013 → 2023: 448 → 579. 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 Lexington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Lexington
On a workday 1,172 residents head out to work, 45 work right here, and 534 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Lexington on a workday afternoon, 21% 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.
15% of working residents work in Minneapolis
Where Lexington clocks in
15% of workers
12% 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.
About 21 minutes each way for Lexington’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lexington workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,366 commuters (the 13% 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 Lexington
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Lexington
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Lexington is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #55 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.7% across Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,562 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 63% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 54% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 9.3% of Lexington households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Lexington’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,330th of 4,562: where Lexington ranks among U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Independence MN | 3,763 | $187K | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Deephaven MN | 3,794 | $198K | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 16 | Greenfield MN | 2,962 | $154K | 1.2% | 0.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,328 | Piasa Township IL | 3,016 | $90K | 4.1% | 5.4% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,329 | Burr Oak Township MI | 2,635 | $67K | 4.0% | 1.4% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,330 | Lexington MN | 3,081 | $75K | 8.6% | 4.7% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,331 | Volga SD | 2,458 | $79K | 6.1% | 1.4% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,332 | East Bernard TX | 2,256 | $98K | 5.2% | 5.9% | 11% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,562 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Lexington, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Bordering towns draw 12% of Lexington’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lexington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | – | B+ | A− | 21 min | $75,347 |
| Blaine | 12% | A− | B | 25 min | $106,801 |
| Circle Pines | under 3% | A | B | 22 min | $101,800 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Blaine. Darker towns draw more of Lexington’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 Lexington: questions
What is the median household income in Lexington?
$75,347 (±$6,514) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lexington?
8.6%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lexington?
21 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lexington work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (15%, 13 mi), Blaine (12%, 3 mi), St. Paul (7%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Lexington walkable?
Lexington is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 12.2 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Lexington without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lexington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lexington
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.