Photo: Markrv at en.wikipedia · Public domainFewer people are out of work in Sartell (2.2%) than in 82% of U.S. towns
The trip to work takes 19 minutes on average (Minnesota 23, U.S. 26). Sartell grades A− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. About one in seven work in Sartell itself; outside it, St. Cloud draws the most (38%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Sartell
A lot of Sartell works one town over
43% of working residents work in a town that borders Sartell: St. Cloud (38%) and Sauk Rapids (5%). Next door ↓
Most Sartell residents work close to home
69% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
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.
Where Sartell’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Sartell is better than 77% of U.S. towns, #128 of 273 in Minnesota. Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($84,131, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Sartell could be anywhere from B to A.
How far Sartell’s workers travel
About 17% 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.
How many people are in Sartell by day
On a workday 7,830 residents head out to work, 1,289 work right here, and 4,662 people come in from elsewhere.
About 17,000 people are in Sartell on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.65 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 2023, primary jobs.
Where Sartell goes to work
Where Sartell clocks in
38% 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.
What the 5,951 jobs in Sartell are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sartell, 2013 → 2023: 4,629 → 5,951. 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 Sartell’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Sartell: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sartell workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,069 commuters (the 12% 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.
Getting around Sartell: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Sartell is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns, #210 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.7% 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 10,320 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 3.6% of Sartell households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Sartell’s commuters take a bus or train.
Sartell is 704th of 1,860 U.S. towns of 14,000 to 27,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Hugo MN | 17,167 | $116K | 2.8% | 1.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Otsego MN | 24,525 | $120K | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 702 | Lorton VA | 20,991 | $139K | 7.4% | 6.5% | 2% | A− |
| 703 | North Lynnwood WA | 23,339 | $101K | 7.2% | 4.9% | 1% | A− |
| 704 | Sartell MN | 19,918 | $84K | 7.4% | 2.2% | 14% | A− |
| 705 | Boerne TX | 24,047 | $85K | 6.8% | 3.5% | 21% | A− |
| 706 | Suffield CT | 16,046 | $119K | 4.6% | 6.1% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,860 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Sartell, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
43% of Sartell works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sartell workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sartell | – | A− | C+ | 19 min | $84,131 |
| Le Sauk Township | under 1% | A− | C | 22 min | $94,167 |
| Sauk Rapids Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Sauk Rapids | 5% | B | B+ | 19 min | $71,841 |
| St. Cloud | 38% | C | A | 20 min | $61,374 |
| St. Wendel Township | under 1% | A− | D− | 26 min | $105,057 |
Same-state neighbors only. Sauk Rapids Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to St. Cloud. Darker towns draw more of Sartell’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 Sartell: questions
What is the median household income in Sartell?
$84,131 (±$8,093) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sartell?
7.4%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sartell?
19 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sartell work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are St. Cloud (38%, 7 mi), Waite Park (6%, 7 mi), Sauk Rapids (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Sartell walkable?
Sartell is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Sartell without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sartell, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sartell
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.