Emery at work: jobs, income and the commute
Working residents average 25 minutes each way (South Dakota 18, U.S. 26). Only 6% stay in Emery for work; outside it, Mitchell is the main destination (28%, 23 miles). Emery has 181 jobs for 201 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Emery and work: the main findings
28% of Emery works in Mitchell
57 working residents, 28%, have their main job in Mitchell, 23 miles away. That’s 5 times as many as work in Emery itself. The commute map ↓
Emery workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 25 minutes each way, against 18 across South Dakota. Over a year that’s about 192 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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; with 201 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Out of Emery to work: where people go
Where Emery 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.
Commuting from Emery: about 25 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Emery workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 273 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.
How many people are in Emery by day
On a workday 188 residents head out to work, 13 work right here, and 168 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 (0.90 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.
What Emery’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Emery, 2013 → 2023: 136 → 181. 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 Emery’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Emery
About 16% 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.
Emery and the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Emery workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emery | – | — | — | 25 min | $67,321 |
| Pleasant Township | under 1% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Pleasant Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Emery’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 Emery: questions
What is the median household income in Emery?
$67,321 (±$11,028) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Emery?
6.7%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Emery?
25 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 Emery work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Mitchell (28%, 23 mi), Sioux Falls (15%, 45 mi), Alexandria (9%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Emery 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 Emery, from the people who make the trip.
More of Emery
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.