Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0For about half of its working residents, Waubun is a commute to Mahnomen
The average commute takes 13 minutes each way, where Minnesota has 23 and the U.S. 26. Only 3% work in Waubun itself; outside it, Mahnomen draws the most (45%, 9 miles). 10% of workers have no commute at all; Minnesota has 18%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Waubun on a workday
On a workday 148 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 88 people come in from elsewhere.
About 330 people are in Waubun on a workday afternoon, 15% 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.
Out of Waubun to work: where people go
Where Waubun clocks in
45% of workers
5% of workers
3% 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.
Most jobs in Waubun are in services
93 jobs are based in Waubun.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Waubun, 2013 → 2023: 54 → 93. 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 Waubun’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Waubun’s commute takes about 13 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Waubun workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 145 commuters (the 10% 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.
Where in the region Waubun works
About 29% 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 Waubun compares with the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Waubun workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waubun | – | — | — | 13 min | $58,036 |
| Popple Grove Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Popple Grove Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Waubun’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 Waubun: questions
What is the median household income in Waubun?
$58,036 (±$17,332) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Waubun?
18.0%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Waubun?
13 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Waubun work?
3% work in town.
Can you get around Waubun without a car?
2% 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 Waubun, from the people who make the trip.
More of Waubun
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.