Chamberlain Bridge · Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0At 3.2%, unemployment in Chamberlain is lower than in 66% of U.S. towns
Working residents average 14 minutes each way (South Dakota 18, U.S. 26). The two grades for Chamberlain are C+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. About one in three work in Chamberlain; the top destination outside it is Sioux Falls (9%, 131 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Chamberlain at work: what stands out
Chamberlain’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Chamberlain is Sioux Falls, 131 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (100) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A big share show a job far from home
34% 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Chamberlain
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chamberlain is better than 35% of U.S. towns. Unemployment holds Chamberlain’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 3% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chamberlain could be anywhere from D to B+.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Chamberlain
About 34% 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 and out of Chamberlain on a workday
On a workday 657 residents head out to work, 402 work right here, and 800 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 (1.14 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 Chamberlain goes to work
Where Chamberlain clocks in
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.
What work there is in Chamberlain: 1,202 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chamberlain, 2013 → 2023: 1,221 → 1,202. 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 Chamberlain’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Chamberlain takes about 14 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chamberlain workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,044 commuters (the 5% 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.
Good to walk, short on transit: Chamberlain
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chamberlain is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Chamberlain 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 1,094 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). 8.5% of Chamberlain households have no vehicle (South Dakota 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Chamberlain’s commuters take a bus or train.
Chamberlain next to U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,300: 3,109th of 5,207 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Split Rock Township SD | 3,086 | $148K | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Delapre Township SD | 2,053 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 103 | Springdale Township SD | 2,229 | $151K | 1.3% | 0.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,107 | Fairfield Harbour NC | 2,948 | $73K | 7.1% | 4.5% | 1% | C+ |
| 3,108 | Conway PA | 2,122 | $66K | 15.5% | 6.7% | 3% | C+ |
| 3,109 | Chamberlain SD | 2,453 | $77K | 12.1% | 3.2% | 38% | C+ |
| 3,110 | Hammond WI | 1,857 | $83K | 17.4% | 7.8% | 5% | C+ |
| 3,111 | Lamotte Township IL | 1,858 | $64K | 13.5% | 2.3% | 6% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,207 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Chamberlain, the top three, the last and three more from South Dakota.
How Chamberlain compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Oacoma (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chamberlain workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamberlain | – | C+ | A− | 14 min | $76,761 |
| Chamberlain Township | 2% | — | — | 11 min | — |
| Oacoma | 5% | — | — | 15 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Chamberlain Township and Oacoma: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chamberlain’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 Chamberlain: questions
What is the median household income in Chamberlain?
$76,761 (±$8,428) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chamberlain?
12.1%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chamberlain?
14 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chamberlain work?
38% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (9%, 131 mi), Oacoma (5%, 2 mi), Mitchell (3%, 64 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Chamberlain walkable?
Chamberlain is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chamberlain 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 Chamberlain, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chamberlain
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.