There are 3.7 jobs in Red Lake for every working resident, and 898 people commute in
About one in three stay in Red Lake for work; outside it, Redby is the main destination (9%, 5 miles). There are 997 jobs in Red Lake, and 273 of its residents work somewhere. 0% of workers work from home, where Minnesota as a whole has 18%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Red Lake and work: the main findings
Red Lake has far more jobs than workers
Red Lake has 997 jobs, 3.7 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 2,200 people are in town, 49% more than the 1,500 who live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Red Lake are quick
The average trip to work takes 6 minutes, against 23 across Minnesota. That’s about 130 hours a year less on the road than the typical Minnesota worker. Time on the road ↓
The jobs in Red Lake pay better than its residents’ jobs
65% of the jobs based in Red Lake pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 45% of the jobs Red Lake residents hold. 90% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Red Lake. 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; with 273 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The daily commute in and out of Red Lake
On a workday 174 residents head out to work and 99 work right here.
About 2,200 people are in Red Lake on a workday afternoon, 49% more than live here.
3.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
A commute of about 6 minutes in Red Lake
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 1.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Red Lake workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 477 commuters (the 0% 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.
Most jobs in Red Lake are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Red Lake, 2013 → 2023: 77 → 997. 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 Red Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where the people who work in Red Lake live
Where Red Lake clocks in
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.
Red Lake’s commute, mile by mile
About 24% 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.
The towns next door employ 15% of Red Lake
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Red Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lake | – | — | — | 6 min | $46,328 |
| Redby | 9% | — | — | 11 min | — |
| Little Rock | 6% | — | — | 10 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Redby and Little Rock: Census-designated places inside larger towns, graded as part of them. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Redby. Darker towns draw more of Red Lake’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 Red Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Red Lake?
$46,328 (±$33,347) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Red Lake?
41.4%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Red Lake?
6 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Red Lake work?
36% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Redby (9%, 5 mi), Little Rock (6%, 4 mi), Minneapolis (5%, 217 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Red Lake without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Red Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Red Lake
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.