Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0Fewer people are out of work in Grafton (0.8%) than in 96% of U.S. towns
Grafton grades C+ for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. 0% of workers have no commute at all, against 8% across North Dakota. More than half work in Grafton; the top destination outside it is Grand Forks (9%, 37 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Grafton apart
Grafton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Grafton is Grand Forks, 37 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (184) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Few Grafton workers work from home
Only 1% of workers work from home, against 8% across North Dakota. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
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.
Grafton’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Grafton is better than 40% of U.S. towns, #18 of 23 in North Dakota. Unemployment holds Grafton’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 16% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Grafton could be anywhere from C to B−.
Near or far: the trip to work from Grafton
About 17% 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.
Time on the road from Grafton: about 16 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Grafton workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,029 commuters (the 1% 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.
A workday in Grafton: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 920 residents head out to work, 1,044 work right here, and 1,390 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,500 people are in Grafton on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.24 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 Grafton to work: where people go
Where Grafton clocks in
9% of workers
5% 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.
65% of the jobs in Grafton pay over $3,333 a month
2,434 jobs are based in Grafton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Grafton, 2013 → 2023: 2,111 → 2,434. 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 Grafton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Most trips from Grafton start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Grafton is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns, #10 of 23 in North Dakota. Both inputs place Grafton near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,040 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). 5.7% of Grafton households have no vehicle (North Dakota 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Grafton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,400, Grafton ranks 2,569th of 4,177 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 164 | Hay Creek Township ND | 4,380 | $161K | 0.7% | 1.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 301 | Apple Creek Township ND | 3,515 | $157K | 2.2% | 1.9% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 440 | Gibbs Township ND | 2,856 | $156K | 1.4% | 2.9% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,567 | Dwight IL | 4,005 | $71K | 11.7% | 4.5% | 22% | C+ |
| 2,568 | Edwardsville KS | 4,748 | $73K | 14.9% | 8.7% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,569 | Grafton ND | 4,023 | $63K | 14.4% | 0.8% | 53% | C+ |
| 2,570 | Kingfisher OK | 5,201 | $64K | 17.1% | 2.1% | 32% | C+ |
| 2,571 | Hudson TX | 5,328 | $46K | 11.9% | 2.6% | 7% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,177 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Grafton, the top three, the last and three more from North Dakota.
The towns around Grafton
The biggest share goes to Grafton Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Grafton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grafton | – | C+ | B+ | 16 min | $62,679 |
| Oakwood Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Grafton Township | 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Oakwood Township and Grafton Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Grafton’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 Grafton: questions
What is the median household income in Grafton?
$62,679 (±$11,732) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Grafton?
14.4%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Grafton?
16 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Grafton work?
53% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grand Forks (9%, 37 mi), Fargo (5%, 110 mi), Park River (3%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Grafton walkable?
Grafton is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Grafton without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Grafton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Grafton
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.