Church of St. Michael-Catholic · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in St. Michael have higher incomes than those in 92% of U.S. towns
Only 6% work in St. Michael itself; outside it, Minneapolis draws the most (10%, 26 miles). 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line (Minnesota 9.3%). The two grades for St. Michael are A+ for jobs and income and C for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
St. Michael at work: what stands out
St. Michael’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside St. Michael is Minneapolis, 26 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (1,035) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
St. Michael workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Why St. Michael gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, St. Michael is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #35 of 273 in Minnesota. Household income is its strongest input ($131,274, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, St. Michael could be anywhere from A to A+.
The distance from St. Michael to work
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.
About 29 minutes to work from St. Michael
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of St. Michael workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,404 commuters (the 19% 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.
The daily flow of workers through St. Michael
On a workday 9,532 residents head out to work, 583 work right here, and 3,332 people come in from elsewhere.
About 16,000 people are in St. Michael on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
0.39 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 St. Michael goes to work
Where St. Michael clocks in
10% of workers
6% 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.
A place that makes things: 32% of St. Michael’s jobs are in goods
3,915 jobs are based in St. Michael.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in St. Michael, 2013 → 2023: 2,991 → 3,915. 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 St. Michael’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Driving is how St. Michael gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, St. Michael is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns, #224 of 273 in Minnesota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.6% 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 11,618 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). 3.4% of St. Michael households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of St. Michael’s commuters take a bus or train.
How St. Michael ranks: 97th of 1,658 U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Prior Lake MN | 28,140 | $134K | 3.1% | 1.5% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Hugo MN | 17,167 | $116K | 2.8% | 1.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Otsego MN | 24,525 | $120K | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 95 | Barrington RI | 16,961 | $153K | 4.5% | 2.6% | 11% | A+ |
| 96 | Mililani Mauka HI | 21,278 | $139K | 3.3% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 97 | St. Michael MN | 22,498 | $131K | 3.2% | 2.9% | 6% | A+ |
| 98 | Palm Valley FL | 19,796 | $117K | 4.2% | 1.2% | 13% | A+ |
| 99 | Crofton MD | 29,549 | $151K | 2.9% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | 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 St. Michael, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
The towns around St. Michael
The biggest share goes to Albertville (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | St. Michael workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Michael | – | A+ | C | 29 min | $131,274 |
| Rogers | 4% | A+ | B− | 25 min | $158,750 |
| Albertville | 5% | A+ | C | 32 min | $132,734 |
| Otsego | under 3% | A+ | C− | 30 min | $119,927 |
| Hanover | under 3% | A+ | C− | 31 min | $156,536 |
| Buffalo Township | under 3% | A | C− | 30 min | $118,194 |
| Rockford Township | under 3% | A | C+ | 35 min | $93,378 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of St. Michael’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 St. Michael: questions
What is the median household income in St. Michael?
$131,274 (±$5,863) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in St. Michael?
3.2%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from St. Michael?
29 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in St. Michael work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minneapolis (10%, 26 mi), Maple Grove (6%, 12 mi), Plymouth (6%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is St. Michael walkable?
St. Michael is more walkable than 33% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around St. Michael without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from St. Michael, from the people who make the trip.
More of St. Michael
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.