Photo: afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0Work and commuting in Fessenden
Commuters spend 10 minutes getting to work on average, next to 18 for North Dakota and 26 for the U.S. About one in five work in Fessenden; the top destination outside it is Harvey (16%, 17 miles). There are 217 jobs in Fessenden for 128 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Fessenden on a workday
On a workday 104 residents head out to work, 24 work right here, and 193 people come in from elsewhere.
About 530 people are in Fessenden on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
1.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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 Fessenden’s workers come from
Where Fessenden clocks in
16% of workers
9% of workers
5% 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.
What Fessenden’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Fessenden, 2013 → 2023: 237 → 217. 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 Fessenden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Fessenden takes about 10 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Fessenden workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 212 commuters (the 6% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Fessenden
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.
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 Fessenden: questions
What is the median household income in Fessenden?
$65,962 (±$2,547) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Fessenden?
21.2%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Fessenden?
10 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Fessenden work?
19% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Harvey (16%, 17 mi), Fargo (9%, 142 mi), Carrington (5%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Fessenden without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Fessenden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Fessenden
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.