Watertown draws more than half of Lake Township’s working residents
Hardly any work in Lake Township itself; outside it, Watertown draws the most (61%, 3 miles). A typical one-way commute from Lake Township lasts 20 minutes (South Dakota 18, U.S. 26). Employers in Lake Township report 104 jobs, and 303 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Lake Township stands out on work
More than half of Lake Township works in Watertown
185 working residents, 61%, have their main job in Watertown, 3.3 miles away across the town line. That’s 61 times as many as work in Lake Township itself. The commute map ↓
Most Lake Township residents work close to home
68% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Lake Township’s working residents have a job less than 6 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 20 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; with 303 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Lake Township goes to work
Where Lake Township clocks in
61% 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.
Miles to work from Lake Township
About 20% 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.
About 20 minutes to work from Lake Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 373 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.
A workday in Lake Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 301 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 102 people come in from elsewhere.
About 470 people are in Lake Township on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.34 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.
Making and building: 54% of jobs based in Lake Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Township, 2013 → 2023: 177 → 104. 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 Lake Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns next door employ 62% of Lake Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Township | – | — | — | 20 min | $106,830 |
| Watertown | 61% | B | B | 13 min | $69,600 |
| Fuller Township | under 1% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Elmira Township | under 1% | — | — | 10 min | — |
| Rauville Township | 1% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Pelican Township | under 1% | — | — | 13 min | — |
| Richland Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Fuller Township, Elmira Township, Rauville Township and Richland Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Pelican Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Watertown. Darker towns draw more of Lake 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 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 Lake Township: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Township?
$106,830 (±$23,163) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Township?
8.6%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Township?
20 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 Lake Township work?
1% work in town.
Can you get around Lake 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 Lake Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Township
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.