Zimmerman has lower unemployment (1.4%) than 91% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Zimmerman B+; getting around on foot earns it C+. Only 5% work in Zimmerman; the top destination outside it is Elk River (13%, 8 miles). 11% of workers work from home (Minnesota 18%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Zimmerman in brief
Zimmerman workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 23 across Minnesota. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 92 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Zimmerman
70% of Zimmerman residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 41% of the jobs based in Zimmerman pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Zimmerman has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Zimmerman went from 1,189 in 2013 to 1,615 in 2023, +36%. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Zimmerman pay little
27% of the jobs based in Zimmerman pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Income, poverty and work: Zimmerman’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Zimmerman is better than 73% of U.S. towns, #141 of 273 in Minnesota. Unemployment holds Zimmerman’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (11.8%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Zimmerman could be anywhere from B− to A+.
The trip to work from Zimmerman: about 35 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Zimmerman workers work from home, vs 18% across Minnesota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,308 commuters (the 11% 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.
In Zimmerman, services account for most jobs
1,615 jobs are based in Zimmerman.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Zimmerman, 2013 → 2023: 1,189 → 1,615. 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 Zimmerman’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Zimmerman: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 3,288 residents head out to work, 183 work right here, and 1,432 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,000 people are in Zimmerman on a workday afternoon, 27% fewer than live here.
0.47 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 Zimmerman’s residents
Where Zimmerman clocks in
13% of workers
8% 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.
How far it is to work from Zimmerman
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.
The commute in Zimmerman is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Zimmerman is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns, #209 of 273 in Minnesota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,734 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). 3.5% of Zimmerman households have no vehicle (Minnesota 6.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Zimmerman’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,049th of 3,229: where Zimmerman ranks among U.S. towns of 4,800 to 9,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Elko New Market MN | 5,300 | $152K | 1.1% | 0.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Albertville MN | 8,544 | $133K | 1.1% | 0.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | Credit River MN | 5,644 | $143K | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,047 | Bullard TX | 5,301 | $119K | 6.2% | 4.7% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,048 | Bonner Springs KS | 7,962 | $83K | 12.4% | 2.5% | 10% | B+ |
| 1,049 | Zimmerman MN | 6,904 | $86K | 11.8% | 1.4% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,050 | White City UT | 5,146 | $106K | 6.6% | 6.8% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,051 | Northwood OH | 5,252 | $77K | 13.8% | 0.2% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,229 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Zimmerman, the top three, the last and three more from Minnesota.
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 Zimmerman: questions
What is the median household income in Zimmerman?
$85,645 (±$14,326) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $89,062 across Minnesota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Zimmerman?
11.8%, against 9.3% across Minnesota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Zimmerman?
35 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Minnesota and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Zimmerman work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elk River (13%, 8 mi), Minneapolis (8%, 37 mi), Rogers (4%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Zimmerman walkable?
Zimmerman is more walkable than 41% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Zimmerman without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Zimmerman, from the people who make the trip.
More of Zimmerman
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.