With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Otsego works elsewhere
3,747 jobs are based in Otsego for 11,534 working residents. Jobs and income earn Otsego A+; getting around on foot earns it C−. Household incomes here are higher than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Otsego and work: the main findings
Jobs in Otsego have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Otsego went from 1,385 in 2013 to 3,747 in 2023, +171%. The jobs ↓
Otsego workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Otsego’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Otsego is Minneapolis, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (1,246) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Otsego empties out on a workday
About 17,000 people are in Otsego on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than the 25,000 who live here: 11,000 head out to work and 3,200 come in. Day and night ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Income, poverty and work: Otsego’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Otsego is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #23 of 273 in Minnesota. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Otsego’s grade. It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Otsego could be anywhere from A to A+.
What Otsego’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Otsego, 2013 → 2023: 1,385 → 3,747. 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 Otsego’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Otsego: about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Otsego workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,253 commuters (the 15% 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 Otsego commutes less than 21 miles
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.
The daily commute in and out of Otsego
On a workday 11,030 residents head out to work, 504 work right here, and 3,243 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Otsego on a workday afternoon, 32% 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.
11% of working residents work in Minneapolis
Where Otsego clocks in
11% 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.
For most of Otsego, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Otsego is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns, #249 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.5% 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 12,095 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.5% of Otsego households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Otsego’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Otsego is 31st among 1,642 U.S. towns of 17,000 to 33,000
| # | 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 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Prior Lake MN | 28,140 | $134K | 3.1% | 1.5% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Hugo MN | 17,167 | $116K | 2.8% | 1.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | St. John IN | 24,841 | $131K | 2.1% | 2.3% | 8% | A+ |
| 30 | Franklin Farm VA | 18,736 | $216K | 1.5% | 3.4% | 3% | A+ |
| 31 | Otsego MN | 24,525 | $120K | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4% | A+ |
| 32 | Bellaire TX | 17,434 | $244K | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| 33 | North Haven CT | 24,799 | $133K | 4.1% | 2.0% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Chanhassen MN | 25,748 | $144K | 2.9% | 3.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,642 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | 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 Otsego, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Around Otsego: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Rogers (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Otsego workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego | – | A+ | C− | 30 min | $119,927 |
| Elk River | 4% | A+ | B− | 27 min | $108,741 |
| Rogers | 5% | A+ | B− | 25 min | $158,750 |
| Big Lake Township | under 3% | A | C− | 31 min | $123,077 |
| Dayton | under 3% | A+ | C− | 27 min | $148,947 |
| Monticello Township | under 3% | A+ | D | 30 min | $123,200 |
| Albertville | under 3% | A+ | C | 32 min | $132,734 |
| St. Michael | under 3% | A+ | C | 29 min | $131,274 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Otsego’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 Otsego: questions
What is the median household income in Otsego?
$119,927 (±$12,286) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Otsego?
3.5%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Otsego?
30 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Otsego work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (11%, 27 mi), Maple Grove (5%, 13 mi), Plymouth (5%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Otsego walkable?
Otsego is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 6.3 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Otsego without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Otsego, from the people who make the trip.
More of Otsego
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.