Work, pay and getting to work in Rice Lake
Hardly any work in Rice Lake itself; outside it, Bemidji draws the most (25%, 31 miles). Home is the office for 8% of workers; Minnesota has 18%. The average commute takes 27 minutes each way; Minnesota averages 23, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Rice Lake quiets down on a workday
On a workday 69 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.
About 180 people are in Rice Lake on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
0.00 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 2024, primary jobs.
Where Rice Lake’s working residents head each day
Where Rice Lake clocks in
25% of workers
16% of workers
14% 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.
The trip to work from Rice Lake: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rice Lake workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 56 commuters (the 8% 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 Rice Lake
About 19% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Rice Lake and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rice Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lake | – | — | — | 27 min | $41,136 |
| Clover Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Clover Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rice 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 2024, 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 Rice Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Rice Lake?
$41,136 (±$8,217) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rice Lake?
48.0%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rice Lake?
27 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rice Lake work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bemidji (25%, 31 mi), Mahnomen (16%, 21 mi), Bagley (14%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Rice Lake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 18% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rice Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rice Lake
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.