Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0More people are out of work in Williston (4.9%) than in 60% of U.S. towns
Williston grades B− for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. More than half stay in Williston for work; outside it, Williston Township is the main destination (7%, 2 miles). The average commute, 18 minutes each way, matches the North Dakota norm.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Williston stands out on work
Most jobs in Williston go to people who live here
Of the 14,268 jobs based in Williston, 57% are held by Williston residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Williston than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Williston fell from 19,025 in 2013 to 14,268 in 2023, −25%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
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.
Jobs & income in Williston: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Williston is better than 50% of U.S. towns, #14 of 23 in North Dakota. The poverty rate holds Williston’s grade up (8.1%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Williston could be anywhere from C to B+.
The daily flow of workers through Williston
On a workday 6,189 residents head out to work, 8,097 work right here, and 6,171 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.
Goods, not services: 29% of the jobs in Williston
14,268 jobs are based in Williston.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Williston, 2013 → 2023: 19,025 → 14,268. 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 Williston’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Out of Williston to work: where people go
Where Williston clocks in
7% 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 commute of about 18 minutes in Williston
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Williston workers work from home, vs 8% across North Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 14,527 commuters (the 4% 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.
Where in the region Williston works
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.
In Williston, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Williston is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns, #9 of 23 in North Dakota. Both inputs place Williston 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 15,067 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). 7.5% of Williston households have no vehicle (North Dakota 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Williston’s commuters take a bus or train.
Williston places 939th of 1,366 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 21,000 to 40,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 682 | Mandan ND | 25,061 | $72K | 9.8% | 1.5% | 25% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 937 | Galloway Township NJ | 38,380 | $91K | 9.6% | 7.2% | 13% | B− |
| 938 | Raytown MO | 29,154 | $69K | 12.5% | 5.6% | 6% | B− |
| 939 | Williston ND | 29,522 | $79K | 8.1% | 4.9% | 57% | B− |
| 940 | Batavia Township OH | 28,855 | $78K | 12.7% | 4.9% | 8% | B− |
| 941 | Whitehall Township PA | 29,405 | $76K | 10.6% | 7.0% | 8% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 945 | Dickinson ND | 25,870 | $83K | 13.6% | 3.2% | 52% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,366 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Williston, the top three, the last and three more from North Dakota.
Williston and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Williston workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williston | – | B− | B+ | 18 min | $79,381 |
| Missouri Ridge Township | 2% | C | D | 14 min | $124,864 |
| Stony Creek Township | under 1% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Williston Township | 7% | A | B | 18 min | $250,000+ |
| Mont Township | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
| Pherrin Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Stony Creek Township, Mont Township and Pherrin Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Williston Township. Darker towns draw more of Williston’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 Williston: questions
What is the median household income in Williston?
$79,381 (±$9,437) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $76,657 across North Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Williston?
8.1%, against 10.8% across North Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Williston?
18 minutes each way on average, against 18 across North Dakota and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Williston work?
57% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Williston Township (7%, 2 mi), Judson Township (5%, 7 mi), Minot (3%, 109 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Williston walkable?
Williston is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Williston without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Williston, from the people who make the trip.
More of Williston
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.