Work means Watertown for about two in three of Elmira Township’s working residents
Commuters spend 10 minutes getting to work on average; South Dakota averages 18, the U.S. 26. Hardly any stay in Elmira Township for work; outside it, Watertown is the main destination (65%, 5 miles). There are 103 jobs in Elmira Township, and 239 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Elmira Township: the figures worth knowing
More than half of Elmira Township works in Watertown
155 working residents, 65%, have their main job in Watertown, 5.2 miles away across the town line. That’s 65 times as many as work in Elmira Township itself. The commute map ↓
Most Elmira Township residents work close to home
69% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Commutes from Elmira Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 10 minutes, against 18 across South Dakota. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical South Dakota worker, and quicker than any town next door (13 to 38 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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 239 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The places Elmira Township commutes to
Where Elmira Township clocks in
65% 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.
How far it is to work from Elmira Township
About 19% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Getting to work from Elmira Township takes about 10 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Elmira Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 180 commuters (the 12% 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.
Who works in Elmira Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 237 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 101 people come in from elsewhere.
About 310 people are in Elmira Township on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.43 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 2024, primary jobs.
What Elmira Township’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Elmira Township, 2014 → 2024: 40 → 103. 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 Elmira Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Elmira Township and its neighbors: 67% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Elmira Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elmira Township | – | — | — | 10 min | $109,167 |
| Watertown | 65% | B | B | 13 min | $69,600 |
| Lake Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Kranzburg Township | under 1% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| Sheridan Township | 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Rauville Township | under 1% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Waverly Township | under 1% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Township, Kranzburg Township, Sheridan Township, Rauville Township and Waverly Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Watertown. Darker towns draw more of Elmira 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 Elmira Township: questions
What is the median household income in Elmira Township?
$109,167 (±$36,224) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Elmira Township?
0.0%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Elmira Township?
10 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Elmira Township work?
1% work in town.
Can you get around Elmira Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Elmira Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Elmira 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.