Earning a living in Stephen
The average commute takes 21 minutes each way (Minnesota 23, U.S. 26). For 3% of workers, the job is at home, next to 18% for Minnesota as a whole. About one in ten work in Stephen; the top destination outside it is Warren (12%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Stephen at work: what stands out
About 21 minutes each way for Stephen’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Stephen workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 247 commuters (the 3% 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 workday shuffle in and out of Stephen
On a workday 220 residents head out to work, 21 work right here, and 125 people come in from elsewhere.
About 490 people are in Stephen on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.61 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.
The towns that employ Stephen’s residents
Where Stephen clocks in
11% 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.
Making and building: 29% of jobs based in Stephen
146 jobs are based in Stephen.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Stephen, 2013 → 2023: 129 → 146. 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 Stephen’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Stephen commutes
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 Stephen compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Tamarac Township (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Stephen workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen | – | — | — | 21 min | $71,250 |
| Tamarac Township | 8% | — | — | 37 min | — |
| Sinnott Township | under 3% | — | — | 13 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Tamarac Township and Sinnott Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Stephen’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 Stephen: questions
What is the median household income in Stephen?
$71,250 (±$23,141) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Stephen?
9.9%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Stephen?
21 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Stephen work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Warren (12%, 18 mi), Grand Forks (11%, 38 mi), Thief River Falls (10%, 40 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Stephen without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Stephen, from the people who make the trip.
More of Stephen
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.