Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0About two in five of Big Stone Township’s working residents commute to Milbank
Big Stone Township has 198 jobs, against 168 working residents. Only 7% work in Big Stone Township itself; outside it, Milbank draws the most (42%, 7 miles). Commuters spend 14 minutes getting to work on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Big Stone Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 156 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 186 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 (1.18 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.
The towns that employ Big Stone Township’s residents
Where Big Stone Township clocks in
42% of workers
5% 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.
Goods jobs make up 97% of work in Big Stone Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Big Stone Township, 2013 → 2023: 270 → 198. 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 Big Stone Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Big Stone Township: about 14 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Big Stone Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 262 commuters (the 0% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Big Stone Township
About 22% 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.
Big Stone Township and its neighbors: 10% work next door
The biggest share goes to Big Stone City (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Big Stone Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Stone Township | – | — | — | 14 min | $110,759 |
| Big Stone City | 5% | — | — | 13 min | — |
| Melrose Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Lockwood Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Big Stone City, Melrose Township and Lockwood Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Big Stone 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 Big Stone Township: questions
What is the median household income in Big Stone Township?
$110,759 (±$10,502) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Big Stone Township?
0.2%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Big Stone Township?
14 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Big Stone Township work?
7% work in town.
Can you get around Big Stone Township without a car?
0% 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 Big Stone Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Big Stone 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.