Aggergaard Manor · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Making a living in Irene
148 jobs are based in Irene for 184 working residents. Hardly any stay in Irene for work; outside it, Sioux Falls is the main destination (25%, 38 miles). The average commute takes 35 minutes each way, next to 18 for South Dakota and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily commute in and out of Irene
On a workday 183 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 147 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 (0.80 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.
Where Irene goes to work
Where Irene clocks in
11% 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 Irene
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Irene, 2013 → 2023: 134 → 148. 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 Irene’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 35 minutes in Irene
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Irene workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 237 commuters (the 4% 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 Irene goes to work
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.
Work in the towns next to Irene
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Irene workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irene | – | — | — | 35 min | $66,563 |
| Turkey Valley Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Daneville Township | under 2% | — | — | 16 min | — |
| Star Township | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Marindahl Township | under 2% | — | — | 38 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Turkey Valley Township, Daneville Township, Star Township and Marindahl Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Irene’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 Irene: questions
What is the median household income in Irene?
$66,563 (±$10,797) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Irene?
3.7%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Irene?
35 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Irene work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (25%, 38 mi), Vermillion (11%, 24 mi), Viborg (9%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Irene without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Irene, from the people who make the trip.
More of Irene
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.