Photo: Bobjgalindo · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of Portland commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
Commuters spend 16 minutes getting to work on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. There are 116 jobs in Portland, against 220 working residents. Only 5% work in Portland; the top destination outside it is Mayville (39%, 2 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Portland
The towns that employ Portland’s residents
Where Portland clocks in
39% of workers
10% 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.
A workday in Portland: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 208 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 104 people come in from elsewhere.
About 470 people are in Portland on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
65% of the jobs in Portland pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Portland, 2013 → 2023: 116 → 116. 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 Portland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Portland, about 16 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Portland workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 277 commuters (the 5% 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 Portland
About 19% 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.
Next door to Portland
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Portland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | – | — | — | 16 min | $90,000 |
| Roseville Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Viking Township | under 2% | — | — | 12 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Roseville Township and Viking Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Portland’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 Portland: questions
What is the median household income in Portland?
$90,000 (±$19,435) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Portland?
4.6%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Portland?
16 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Portland work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Mayville (39%, 2 mi), Grand Forks (10%, 32 mi), Fargo (6%, 51 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Portland 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 Portland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Portland
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.