Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0Work and commuting in Willow River
Only 7% stay in Willow River for work; outside it, Moose Lake is the main destination (16%, 9 miles). Commuters spend 36 minutes getting to work on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 186 jobs are based in Willow River for 192 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The workday shuffle in and out of Willow River
On a workday 179 residents head out to work, 13 work right here, and 173 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 (0.97 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.
The towns that employ Willow River’s residents
Where Willow River clocks in
16% of workers
5% 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.
The kinds of work in Willow River
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Willow River, 2013 → 2023: 189 → 186. 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 Willow River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Willow River: about 36 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Willow River workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 129 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.
Where in the region Willow River works
About 34% 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.
Willow River and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Willow River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow River | – | — | — | 36 min | $58,125 |
| Kettle River Township | under 3% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Sturgeon Lake Township | under 3% | — | — | 41 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Kettle River Township and Sturgeon Lake Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Willow River’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 Willow River: questions
What is the median household income in Willow River?
$58,125 (±$18,831) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Willow River?
13.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Willow River?
36 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Willow River work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Moose Lake (16%, 9 mi), Duluth (5%, 45 mi), Sandstone (4%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Willow River without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 15% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Willow River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Willow River
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.