For more than half of its working residents, Alton Township is a commute to Brookings
At 18 minutes each way, commutes from Alton Township run about the South Dakota average. Hardly any work in Alton Township; the top destination outside it is Brookings (61%, 10 miles). 12 jobs are based in Alton Township for 142 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Alton Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 141 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 11 people come in from elsewhere.
About 140 people are in Alton Township on a workday afternoon, 48% fewer than live here.
0.08 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.
Out of Alton Township to work: where people go
Where Alton Township 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.
50% of the jobs in Alton Township make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alton Township, 2013 → 2023: 19 → 12. 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 Alton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Alton Township takes about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alton Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 51 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across South 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.
Miles to work from Alton Township
About 23% 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.
Alton Township and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Township | – | — | — | 18 min | $92,813 |
| Richland Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Sherman Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Bushnell | under 2% | — | — | 15 min | — |
| Parnell Township | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Aurora Township | under 2% | — | — | 14 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Richland Township, Sherman Township, Bushnell, Parnell Township and Aurora Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alton 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 Alton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Alton Township?
$92,813 (±$71,388) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alton Township?
18.7%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alton Township?
18 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alton Township work?
1% work in town.
Can you get around Alton Township 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 Alton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alton 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.