About two in five of Spruce Valley Township’s working residents commute to Thief River Falls
Employers in Spruce Valley Township report 74 jobs for 108 working residents. Only 2% stay in Spruce Valley Township for work; outside it, Thief River Falls is the main destination (44%, 20 miles). The average commute takes 25 minutes each way, next to 23 for Minnesota and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Spruce Valley Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 106 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 72 people come in from elsewhere.
About 200 people are in Spruce Valley Township on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.69 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 Spruce Valley Township’s working residents head each day
Where Spruce Valley Township clocks in
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.
Spruce Valley Township works in goods: 30% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Spruce Valley Township, 2013 → 2023: 26 → 74. 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 Spruce Valley Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Spruce Valley Township: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Spruce Valley Township workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 58 commuters (the 16% 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.
How many miles Spruce Valley Township commutes
About 21% 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 Spruce Valley Township compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Spruce Valley Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spruce Valley Township | – | — | — | 25 min | $71,667 |
| Huntly Township | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| New Maine Township | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Cedar Township | under 2% | — | — | 60 min | — |
| Holt Township | under 2% | — | — | 43 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Huntly Township, New Maine Township, Cedar Township and Holt Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Spruce Valley 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 Spruce Valley Township: questions
What is the median household income in Spruce Valley Township?
$71,667 (±$27,081) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Spruce Valley Township?
2.2%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Spruce Valley Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Spruce Valley Township work?
2% work in town.
Can you get around Spruce Valley Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Spruce Valley Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Spruce Valley 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.