Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Work, pay and getting to work in Cooperstown
The trip to work takes 12 minutes on average, next to 18 for North Dakota and 26 for the U.S. About one in three work in Cooperstown itself; outside it, Fargo draws the most (9%, 73 miles). Cooperstown has 486 jobs, against 371 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Cooperstown: the gist
Cooperstown’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Cooperstown is Fargo, 73 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (32) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Cooperstown than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Cooperstown fell from 670 in 2013 to 486 in 2023, −27%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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; with 371 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How many miles Cooperstown commutes
About 31% 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.
The kinds of work in Cooperstown
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cooperstown, 2013 → 2023: 670 → 486. 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 Cooperstown’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who leaves Cooperstown for work, and who comes in
On a workday 247 residents head out to work, 124 work right here, and 362 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Cooperstown on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.31 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 Cooperstown’s residents
Where Cooperstown clocks in
9% of workers
8% 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.
How long Cooperstown spends getting to work: about 12 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cooperstown workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 370 commuters (the 4% 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.
The towns around Cooperstown
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cooperstown workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooperstown | – | — | — | 12 min | $51,375 |
| Cooperstown Township | under 2% | — | — | 9 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Cooperstown Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cooperstown’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 Cooperstown: questions
What is the median household income in Cooperstown?
$51,375 (±$9,913) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cooperstown?
15.1%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cooperstown?
12 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Cooperstown work?
33% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fargo (9%, 73 mi), Binford (8%, 13 mi), Valley City (3%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Cooperstown without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cooperstown, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cooperstown
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.