John Mundt Building · Photo: publichall · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in Hartford (0.9%) is lower than in 95% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, Hartford is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. For jobs and income Hartford is better than 89% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns (B−). About one in ten work in Hartford itself; outside it, Sioux Falls draws the most (59%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Hartford
More than half of Hartford works in Sioux Falls
1,102 working residents, 59%, have their main job in Sioux Falls, 12 miles away. That’s 7 times as many as work in Hartford itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Hartford
67% of Hartford residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 40% of the jobs based in Hartford pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 91% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Hartford has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Hartford went from 555 in 2013 to 815 in 2023, +47%. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Hartford pay little
28% of the jobs based in Hartford pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 33% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
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.
The four measures behind Hartford’s grade
Unemployment is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 61% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Hartford could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Out of Hartford to work: where people go
Where Hartford 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.
Inside Hartford’s 815 jobs
815 jobs are based in Hartford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hartford, 2013 → 2023: 555 → 815. 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 Hartford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily commute in and out of Hartford
On a workday 1,686 residents head out to work, 169 work right here, and 646 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in Hartford on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
0.44 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.
Getting to work from Hartford takes about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hartford workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,854 commuters (the 6% 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 far it is to work from Hartford
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 commute in Hartford is mostly behind the wheel
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.5% 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 1,967 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). 4.2% of Hartford households have no vehicle (South Dakota 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Hartford’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Hartford is 451st of 4,474 U.S. towns of 2,500 to 4,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Split Rock Township SD | 3,086 | $148K | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 443 | Dakota Dunes SD | 3,936 | $136K | 2.4% | 3.4% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 449 | East Basin UT | 4,002 | $146K | 7.5% | 0.6% | 4% | A |
| 450 | Lake Orion MI | 2,900 | $101K | 9.2% | 0.7% | 8% | A |
| 451 | Hartford SD | 3,635 | $100K | 5.5% | 0.9% | 9% | A |
| 452 | Abernathy TX | 2,826 | $88K | 3.0% | 1.0% | 12% | A |
| 453 | Sangamon Township IL | 2,533 | $121K | 2.7% | 2.3% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 873 | Dell Rapids SD | 3,852 | $100K | 9.4% | 0.3% | 16% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,474 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Hartford, the top three, the last and three more from South Dakota.
Hartford and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Hartford Township (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hartford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford | – | A | B− | 17 min | $99,893 |
| Hartford Township | 2% | — | — | 40 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Hartford Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hartford’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 Hartford: questions
What is the median household income in Hartford?
$99,893 (±$14,576) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hartford?
5.5%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hartford?
17 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 Hartford work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (59%, 12 mi), Wall Lake Township (2%, 5 mi), Hartford Township (2%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Hartford walkable?
Hartford is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hartford without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hartford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hartford
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.