Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Jobs and the daily commute in Buffalo
56 jobs are based in Buffalo, and 81 of its residents work somewhere. Only 4% stay in Buffalo for work; outside it, Fargo is the main destination (32%, 34 miles). The average commute takes 33 minutes each way, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Buffalo, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 78 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 53 people come in from elsewhere.
About 160 people are in Buffalo on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.69 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 Buffalo goes to work
Where Buffalo clocks in
32% of workers
7% 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.
Jobs in Buffalo: what the 56 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Buffalo, 2013 → 2023: 69 → 56. 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 Buffalo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Buffalo’s commute takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Buffalo workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 85 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across North Dakota: 85% drive alone, <1% 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 Buffalo works
About 16% 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.
Work in the towns next to Buffalo
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Buffalo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | – | — | — | 33 min | $76,875 |
| Buffalo Township | under 3% | — | — | 6 min | — |
| Tower Township | under 3% | — | — | 11 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Buffalo Township and Tower Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Buffalo’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 Buffalo: questions
What is the median household income in Buffalo?
$76,875 (±$51,728) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Buffalo?
7.8%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Buffalo?
33 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Buffalo work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fargo (32%, 34 mi), Casselton (10%, 16 mi), Enderlin (7%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Buffalo without a car?
0% 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 Buffalo, from the people who make the trip.
More of Buffalo
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.