Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0For about half of its working residents, Gardner is a commute to Fargo
The trip to work takes 36 minutes on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home, where North Dakota as a whole has 8%. Only 3% work in Gardner; the top destination outside it is Fargo (47%, 20 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Gardner on a workday
On a workday 70 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 76 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 (1.08 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.
Out of Gardner to work: where people go
Where Gardner clocks in
47% of workers
8% of workers
6% 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
78 jobs are based in Gardner.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gardner, 2013 → 2023: 11 → 78. 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 Gardner’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Gardner’s commute takes about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gardner workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 58 commuters (the 17% 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 Gardner works
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.
Gardner and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gardner workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner | – | — | — | 36 min | $103,750 |
| Gardner Township | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Gardner Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gardner’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 Gardner: questions
What is the median household income in Gardner?
$103,750 (±$36,526) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gardner?
0.0%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gardner?
36 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gardner work?
3% work in town.
Can you get around Gardner 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 Gardner, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gardner
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.