Households in Oakdale earn more than those in 72% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.9 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 26.2 in Minneapolis. The poverty rate is 5.7% (Minnesota 9.3%). Oakdale grades A for jobs and income and A− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Oakdale
Oakdale and St. Paul trade workers both ways
St. Paul is the top workplace for Oakdale residents (19%) and also where the most people who work in Oakdale come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Oakdale draws workers from far and wide
The 11,276 jobs in Oakdale are filled from a wide area. Oakdale’s own residents hold 8% and the ten next-biggest home towns 35%; the other 57% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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’s behind Oakdale’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Oakdale is better than 89% of U.S. towns, #83 of 273 in Minnesota. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Oakdale could be anywhere from A− to A+.
19% of working residents work in St. Paul
Where Oakdale clocks in
19% of workers
10% of workers
5% 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.
Oakdale on a workday afternoon
On a workday 12,964 residents head out to work, 881 work right here, and 10,395 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 (0.81 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What work there is in Oakdale: 11,276 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oakdale, 2013 → 2023: 8,835 → 11,276. 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 Oakdale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 24 minutes from Oakdale
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oakdale workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 11,773 commuters (the 20% 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 Oakdale’s workers travel
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Oakdale
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Oakdale is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns, #98 of 273 in Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 14,625 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 58% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 19% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 67% 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). 4.8% of Oakdale households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Oakdale’s commuters take a bus or train.
Oakdale places 275th of 1,415 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 21,000 to 41,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Prior Lake MN | 28,140 | $134K | 3.1% | 1.5% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Otsego MN | 24,525 | $120K | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Andover MN | 33,874 | $138K | 3.3% | 2.8% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 273 | Delaware Township IN | 36,770 | $102K | 5.4% | 3.3% | 11% | A |
| 274 | Minneola FL | 21,064 | $111K | 4.7% | 3.0% | 2% | A |
| 275 | Oakdale MN | 30,588 | $94K | 5.7% | 3.2% | 6% | A |
| 276 | Upper Merion Township PA | 36,674 | $122K | 4.5% | 4.9% | 16% | A |
| 277 | South Pasadena CA | 25,503 | $127K | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,415 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Oakdale, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Oakdale and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Woodbury (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Oakdale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakdale | – | A | A− | 24 min | $93,772 |
| Lake Elmo | under 2% | A+ | C | 23 min | $153,669 |
| Woodbury | 5% | A | B+ | 24 min | $125,310 |
| Mahtomedi | under 2% | A | B | 24 min | $123,319 |
| Pine Springs | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Pine Springs: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Oakdale’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 Oakdale: questions
What is the median household income in Oakdale?
$93,772 (±$4,154) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oakdale?
5.7%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oakdale?
24 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oakdale work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Paul (19%, 7 mi), Minneapolis (10%, 15 mi), Woodbury (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Oakdale walkable?
Oakdale is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 10.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Oakdale without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 19% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oakdale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oakdale
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.