Chester Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each
The trip to work takes 22 minutes on average, next to 18 for South Dakota and 26 for the U.S. 72 jobs are based in Chester Township for 326 working residents. Only 2% stay in Chester Township for work; outside it, Sioux Falls is the main destination (33%, 26 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Chester Township, in brief
Chester Township is a place people come home to
There are 72 jobs based in Chester Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Chester Township has about 440 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
One in three of Chester Township works in Sioux Falls
109 working residents, 33%, have their main job in Sioux Falls, 26 miles away. That’s 17 times as many as work in Chester Township itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 326 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who works in Chester Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 318 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 64 people come in from elsewhere.
About 440 people are in Chester Township on a workday afternoon, 37% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where Chester Township goes to work
Where Chester Township clocks in
21% 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.
The kinds of work in Chester Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chester Township, 2014 → 2024: 58 → 72. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Chester Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Chester Township, about 22 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chester Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 312 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.
How many miles Chester Township commutes
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Chester Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Lake Madison (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chester Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Township | – | — | — | 22 min | $69,375 |
| Brant Lake | under 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Franklin Township | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Taopi Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Lynn Township | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Wentworth Township | 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Lake Madison | 4% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Brant Lake, Franklin Township, Taopi Township, Lynn Township, Wentworth Township and Lake Madison: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chester 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 2024, 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 Chester Township: questions
What is the median household income in Chester Township?
$69,375 (±$28,427) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chester Township?
8.3%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chester Township?
22 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chester Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (33%, 26 mi), Madison (21%, 12 mi), Brookings (6%, 30 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Chester Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chester Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chester Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.