Households in Springfield have lower incomes than those in 75% of U.S. towns
9% of workers have no commute at all (Minnesota 18%). 11.8% of residents live below the poverty line, where Minnesota as a whole has 9.3%. For jobs and income Springfield is better than 16% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (A).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Springfield at work: what stands out
Springfield’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Springfield is New Ulm, 26 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (88) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Many jobs in Springfield pay little
28% of the jobs based in Springfield pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Springfield than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Springfield fell from 1,225 in 2013 to 920 in 2023, −25%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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 897 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The four measures behind Springfield’s grade
The poverty rate holds Springfield’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 12% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (5.8%) is left out: Springfield’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Springfield could be anywhere from D to C.
Miles to work from Springfield
About 22% 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.
What work there is in Springfield: 920 jobs
920 jobs are based in Springfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Springfield, 2013 → 2023: 1,225 → 920. 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 Springfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Springfield on a workday
On a workday 604 residents head out to work, 293 work right here, and 627 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.03 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
10% of working residents work in New Ulm
Where Springfield clocks in
10% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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.
Commuting from Springfield: about 20 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Springfield workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 823 commuters (the 9% 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.
Springfield is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 907 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). 7.3% of Springfield households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Springfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Springfield is 4,232nd among 5,509 U.S. towns of 1,400 to 2,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Tonka Bay MN | 1,561 | $156K | 3.5% | 9.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | May Township MN | 2,638 | $137K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Stillwater Township MN | 1,831 | $162K | 3.4% | 3.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,230 | Brushcreek Township OH | 1,439 | $66K | 12.6% | 3.1% | <1% | C− |
| 4,231 | Pleasant Grove OH | 1,436 | $54K | 22.1% | 2.1% | 1% | C− |
| 4,232 | Springfield MN | 1,980 | $59K | 11.8% | 5.8% | 33% | C− |
| 4,233 | Tutwiler MS | 1,649 | $34K | 9.0% | 19.3% | <1% | C− |
| 4,234 | Forest City PA | 1,741 | $57K | 16.9% | 7.4% | 9% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,509 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Springfield, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
Springfield and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Springfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | – | C− | A | 20 min | $59,434 |
| Burnstown Township | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| North Star Township | under 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Burnstown Township and North Star Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Springfield’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 Springfield: questions
What is the median household income in Springfield?
$59,434 (±$3,764) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Springfield?
11.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Springfield?
20 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Springfield work?
33% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Ulm (10%, 26 mi), Sleepy Eye (4%, 14 mi), Redwood Falls (4%, 22 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Springfield walkable?
Springfield is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.2 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Springfield without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Springfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Springfield
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.