At 1.0%, unemployment in Harrisburg is lower than in 94% of U.S. towns
About one in ten work in Harrisburg; the top destination outside it is Sioux Falls (67%, 7 miles). The two grades for Harrisburg are A+ for jobs and income and C for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 83% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Harrisburg, in a few figures
More than half of Harrisburg works in Sioux Falls
2,847 working residents, 67%, have their main job in Sioux Falls, 7.4 miles away. That’s 7 times as many as work in Harrisburg itself. The commute map ↓
Jobs in Harrisburg have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Harrisburg went from 1,123 in 2013 to 2,315 in 2023, +106%. The jobs ↓
Most Harrisburg residents work close to home
74% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. How far ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Harrisburg’s working residents have a job less than 7 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 22 minutes, longer than the South Dakota average of 18. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Inside Harrisburg’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Harrisburg is better than 97% of U.S. towns, #2 of 35 in South Dakota. The poverty rate is its strongest input (0.5%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 71% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Harrisburg could be anywhere from A to A+.
Where Harrisburg goes to work
Where Harrisburg 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.
Goods jobs make up 30% of work in Harrisburg
2,315 jobs are based in Harrisburg.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Harrisburg, 2013 → 2023: 1,123 → 2,315. 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 Harrisburg’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Harrisburg
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.
The trip to work from Harrisburg: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Harrisburg workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,440 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.
Harrisburg on a workday afternoon
On a workday 3,805 residents head out to work, 430 work right here, and 1,885 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,500 people are in Harrisburg on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.55 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 2023, primary jobs.
In Harrisburg, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Harrisburg is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #33 of 35 in South Dakota. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.3% across South Dakota.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,055 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.4% of Harrisburg households have no vehicle (South Dakota 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Harrisburg’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Harrisburg ranks: 108th of 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 106 | Honeygo MD | 12,250 | $146K | 1.8% | 2.8% | 3% | A+ |
| 107 | Timnath CO | 11,600 | $178K | 4.4% | 0.6% | 2% | A+ |
| 108 | Harrisburg SD | 10,405 | $109K | 0.5% | 1.0% | 10% | A+ |
| 109 | Bulverde TX | 7,337 | $112K | 2.8% | 1.4% | 4% | A+ |
| 110 | McCordsville IN | 13,094 | $111K | 0.9% | 2.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 165 | Brandon SD | 11,306 | $111K | 1.4% | 1.2% | 17% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 295 | Tea SD | 8,019 | $120K | 4.7% | 2.0% | 10% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,445 | Pierre SD | 13,848 | $78K | 10.1% | 1.2% | 65% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Harrisburg, the top three, the last and three more from South Dakota.
How Harrisburg compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Delapre Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Harrisburg workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | – | A+ | C | 22 min | $108,724 |
| Springdale Township | 1% | A+ | D | 25 min | $151,000 |
| Delapre Township | 2% | A+ | C− | 19 min | $141,058 |
| La Valley Township | under 1% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Dayton Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. La Valley Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Dayton Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Harrisburg’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 Harrisburg: questions
What is the median household income in Harrisburg?
$108,724 (±$12,178) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Harrisburg?
0.5%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Harrisburg?
22 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 Harrisburg work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (67%, 7 mi), Tea (2%, 6 mi), Delapre Township (2%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Harrisburg walkable?
Harrisburg is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Harrisburg without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Harrisburg, from the people who make the trip.
More of Harrisburg
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.