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St John, North DakotaPhoto: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded–Not graded
Jobs & commute in St. John

Most of St. John commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident

1% of workers have no commute at all, where North Dakota as a whole has 8%. There are 17 jobs in St. John; 122 of its residents have a job. Hardly any stay in St. John for work; outside it, Belcourt is the main destination (34%, 7 miles).

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

St. John on a workday afternoon

On a workday 122 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 17 people come in from elsewhere.

122live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
17work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night310
Workday210
310live here− 120head out to work+ 17come in to work= 210on a workday

About 210 people are in St. John on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.14jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

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 commute map

The towns that employ St. John’s residents

WolfordWesthopeSt. JohnDunseith: 21 residents work here (17%)KenmareBottineau: 5 residents work here (4%)Rolla: 7 residents work here (6%)Rugby: 1 residents work here (1%)LincolnJamestownBismarck: 3 residents work here (2%)Minot: 2 residents work here (2%)Grand Forks: 2 residents work here (2%)Fargo: 5 residents work here (4%)Hastings Township: 2 residents work here (2%)Sundre TownshipEast DunseithBelcourt: 42 residents work here (34%)BelcourtDunseithRollaBottineauFargoBismarckSt. John
1
Belcourt7.1 mi away
34%42
2
Dunseith18.3 mi away
17%21
3
Rolla8.4 mi away
6%7
4
Bottineau34.1 mi away
4%5
5
Fargo196.1 mi away
4%5
6
Bismarck155 mi away
2%3
7
Minot86.6 mi away
2%2
8
Grand Forks139.6 mi away
2%2
9
Hastings Township67.7 mi away
2%2
10
Rugby41.9 mi away
1%1
Everywhere elseother towns and states
26%32
The top trips

Where St. John clocks in

Lines 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.

The jobs

St. John makes things: 35% of its jobs are in goods

Jobs based in St. JohnJobs St. John residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms35%8%
Trade, transport & utilities18%12%
Services: health, schools, offices47%80%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less29%13%
$1,251–$3,333 a month47%20%
Over $3,333 a month24%66%

Who does it

29 or younger29%20%
30 to 5453%45%
55 and older18%35%
−96%

Jobs based in St. John, 2013 → 2023: 439 → 17. 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 St. John’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

The trip to work from St. John: about 18 minutes

A year of commuting
140 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.8 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

St. John18 min
North Dakota18 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
1%

of St. John workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.

About 0 in 10
How St. John gets to work
89%Drive alone
7%Carpool
4%Bike

Share of the 150 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.

How far

St. John’s commute, mile by mile

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miBelcourt: 34% · 7.1 miDunseith: 17% · 18.3 miRolla: 6% · 8.4 miBottineau: 4% · 34.1 miFargo: 4% · 196.1 miBismarck: 2% · 155 miMinot: 2% · 86.6 miGrand Forks: 2% · 139.6 miHastings Township: 2% · 67.7 miRugby: 1% · 41.9 miBelcourt 34%Dunseith 17%Rolla 6%Bottineau 4%Fargo 4%St. John
St. JohnTop destinations (size = commuters)
56%Under 10 mi68 residents
20%10–24 mi25 residents
7%25–50 mi9 residents
16%Over 50 mi20 residents

About 16% 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.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in St. John: questions

What is the median household income in St. John?

$62,750 (±$43,634) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in St. John?

12.9%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from St. John?

18 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in St. John work?

0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Belcourt (34%, 7 mi), Dunseith (17%, 18 mi), Rolla (6%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around St. John without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from St. John, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of St. John

St. John home →

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.