Photo: Publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0Jobs, income and commuting in Towner, ND
About one in ten work in Towner; the top destination outside it is Minot (26%, 41 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 16 minutes, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 209 jobs are based in Towner; 209 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Towner: the gist
Towner’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Towner is Minot, 41 miles away as the crow flies. 26% of working residents (54) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
32% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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; with 209 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where in the region Towner works
About 32% 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 a workday changes Towner
On a workday 188 residents head out to work, 21 work right here, and 188 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 (1.00 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.
Where Towner goes to work
Where Towner clocks in
9% 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Towner
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Towner, 2013 → 2023: 252 → 209. 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 Towner’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 16 minutes each way, about the ND average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Towner workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 183 commuters (the 8% 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.
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 Towner: questions
What is the median household income in Towner?
$49,500 (±$5,810) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Towner?
15.4%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Towner?
16 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Towner work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Minot (26%, 41 mi), Bismarck (9%, 107 mi), Bottineau (4%, 33 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Towner without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Towner, from the people who make the trip.
More of Towner
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.