For about two in three of its working residents, Sterling Township is a commute to Bismarck
The average commute takes 24 minutes each way, where North Dakota has 18 and the U.S. 26. 0% of workers work from home (North Dakota 8%). Only 1% work in Sterling Township; the top destination outside it is Bismarck (64%, 24 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in Sterling Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 71 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 4 people come in from elsewhere.
About 98 people are in Sterling Township on a workday afternoon, 41% fewer than live here.
0.07 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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 the trip to work from Sterling Township ends
Where Sterling Township clocks in
64% of workers
10% of workers
4% 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
5 jobs are based in Sterling Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sterling Township, 2013 → 2023: 2 → 5. 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 Sterling Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Sterling Township: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sterling Township workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 61 commuters (the 0% 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 Sterling Township’s workers travel
About 15% 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.
Sterling Township and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sterling Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling Township | – | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Taft Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Christiania Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Driscoll Township | under 2% | — | — | 36 min | — |
| McKenzie Township | 1% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Taft Township, Christiania Township, Driscoll Township and McKenzie Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to McKenzie Township. Darker towns draw more of Sterling Township’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 Sterling Township: questions
What is the poverty rate in Sterling Township?
51.0%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sterling Township?
24 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 Sterling Township work?
1% work in town.
Can you get around Sterling Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sterling Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sterling Township
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.