Work means Owatonna for about half of Merton Township’s working residents
Commuters spend 25 minutes getting to work on average; the Minnesota average is 23, the U.S. 26. Hardly any work in Merton Township; the top destination outside it is Owatonna (45%, 8 miles). Employers in Merton Township report 9 jobs, against 163 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Merton Township by day and by night
On a workday 163 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 9 people come in from elsewhere.
About 200 people are in Merton Township on a workday afternoon, 44% fewer than live here.
0.06 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 places Merton Township commutes to
Where Merton Township clocks in
45% of workers
12% of workers
4% 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.
Merton Township works in goods: 67% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Merton Township, 2013 → 2023: 23 → 9. 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 Merton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 25 minutes each way for Merton Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Merton Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 139 commuters (the 19% 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.
Half of Merton Township commutes less than 11 miles
About 17% 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.
Around Merton Township: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Merton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merton Township | – | — | — | 25 min | $92,292 |
| Havana Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Clinton Falls Township | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Ellington Township | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Havana Township, Clinton Falls Township and Ellington Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Merton 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 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 Merton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Merton Township?
$92,292 (±$13,918) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Merton Township?
7.2%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Merton Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Merton Township work?
0% work in town.
Can you get around Merton Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Merton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Merton Township
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.