Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of Rockford Township commutes out: there are 0.4 jobs for every working resident
Rockford Township has 709 jobs, and 1,794 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn Rockford Township A; getting around on foot earns it C+. Only 2% stay in Rockford Township for work; outside it, Plymouth is the main destination (9%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Rockford Township at work: what stands out
Many jobs in Rockford Township pay little
40% of the jobs based in Rockford Township pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
Rockford Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 92 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Rockford Township
67% of Rockford Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 37% of the jobs based in Rockford Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 98% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Rockford Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Rockford Township went from 438 in 2013 to 709 in 2023, +62%. The jobs ↓
Rockford Township makes and builds things
35% of the jobs based in Rockford Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Rockford Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 23%. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Rockford Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rockford Township is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #97 of 273 in Minnesota. The poverty rate is its strongest input (0.9%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.7%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Rockford Township could be anywhere from B to A+.
Making and building: 35% of jobs based in Rockford Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rockford Township, 2013 → 2023: 438 → 709. 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 Rockford Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 35 minutes to work from Rockford Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rockford Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,493 commuters (the 18% 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.
Who leaves Rockford Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,752 residents head out to work, 42 work right here, and 667 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Rockford Township on a workday afternoon, 31% 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.
Where Rockford Township’s working residents head each day
Where Rockford Township clocks in
7% 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.
How far Rockford Township’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.
Getting around Rockford Township: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rockford Township is more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns, #206 of 273 in Minnesota. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 3.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.7% across Minnesota, on an EPA index of 5.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,812 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). 0.2% of Rockford Township households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Rockford Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,535 U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,700, Rockford Township comes 564th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Independence MN | 3,763 | $187K | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Deephaven MN | 3,794 | $198K | 1.7% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 18 | Greenfield MN | 2,962 | $154K | 1.2% | 0.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 562 | Oakbrook Terrace IL | 2,792 | $77K | 17.3% | 3.7% | 3% | A |
| 563 | Lowell MI | 4,134 | $73K | 4.5% | 0.5% | 9% | A |
| 564 | Rockford Township MN | 3,474 | $93K | 0.9% | 3.7% | 2% | A |
| 565 | Hartford WI | 3,359 | $110K | 5.6% | 3.3% | 2% | A |
| 566 | Blount Township IL | 3,322 | $110K | 3.6% | 1.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,535 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Rockford Township, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Work next door: 13% of Rockford Township’s workers
The biggest share goes to Buffalo (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rockford Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockford Township | – | A | C+ | 35 min | $93,378 |
| Franklin Township | under 3% | A+ | C | 29 min | $112,171 |
| Rockford | 5% | A | B− | 27 min | $94,162 |
| Greenfield | under 3% | A+ | C− | 33 min | $153,750 |
| Buffalo | 8% | B | B− | 27 min | $88,820 |
| Hanover | under 3% | A+ | C− | 31 min | $156,536 |
| Buffalo Township | under 3% | A | C− | 30 min | $118,194 |
| St. Michael | under 3% | A+ | C | 29 min | $131,274 |
| Marysville Township | under 3% | B | C | 31 min | $97,679 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Rockford 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 Rockford Township: questions
What is the median household income in Rockford Township?
$93,378 (±$30,564) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rockford Township?
0.9%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rockford Township?
35 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rockford Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Plymouth (9%, 18 mi), Buffalo (8%, 5 mi), Minneapolis (7%, 28 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rockford Township walkable?
Rockford Township is more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 5.2 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rockford Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and <1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rockford Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rockford 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. 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.