More than half of Smiley Township’s working residents commute to Thief River Falls
Working residents average 19 minutes each way (Minnesota 23, U.S. 26). For 6% of workers, the job is at home, where Minnesota as a whole has 18%. Hardly any work in Smiley Township; the top destination outside it is Thief River Falls (57%, 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 Smiley Township
More than half of Smiley Township works in Thief River Falls
182 working residents, 57%, have their main job in Thief River Falls, 6.9 miles away. That’s 57 times as many as work in Smiley Township itself. The commute map ↓
Smiley Township is a place people come home to
There are 25 jobs based in Smiley Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Smiley Township has about 290 people in it, 50% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Most Smiley Township residents work close to home
70% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. 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; with 318 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Smiley Township’s working residents head each day
Where Smiley Township clocks in
Lines 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.
Who works in Smiley Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 316 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 23 people come in from elsewhere.
About 290 people are in Smiley Township on a workday afternoon, 50% fewer than live here.
0.08 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Smiley Township
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.
Goods, not services: 28% of the jobs in Smiley Township
25 jobs are based in Smiley Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Smiley Township, 2013 → 2023: 19 → 25. 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 Smiley Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Smiley Township: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Smiley Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 244 commuters (the 6% 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.
Smiley Township and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Wyandotte Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Smiley Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smiley Township | – | — | — | 19 min | $90,893 |
| Rocksbury Township | under 1% | B | C− | 12 min | $112,548 |
| Kratka Township | under 1% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Wyandotte Township | 4% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Silverton Township | under 1% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Kratka Township, Wyandotte Township and Silverton Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Smiley 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 Smiley Township: questions
What is the median household income in Smiley Township?
$90,893 (±$9,817) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Smiley Township?
2.1%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Smiley Township?
19 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Smiley Township work?
1% work in town.
Can you get around Smiley Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Smiley Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Smiley 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.