Lake Madison has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.3 for each
For 32% of workers, the job is at home, against 10% across South Dakota. Employers in Lake Madison report 98 jobs; 374 of its residents have a job. Only 4% work in Lake Madison itself; outside it, Sioux Falls draws the most (36%, 33 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Lake Madison
Home offices are common in Lake Madison
32% of Lake Madison workers work from home, against 10% across South Dakota. Time on the road ↓
36% of Lake Madison works in Sioux Falls
133 working residents, 36%, have their main job in Sioux Falls, 33 miles away. That’s 9 times as many as work in Lake Madison itself. The commute map ↓
Lake Madison is a place people come home to
There are 98 jobs based in Lake Madison, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Lake Madison has about 660 people in it, 29% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 374 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
About 17 minutes each way, about the SD average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake Madison workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 330 commuters (the 32% 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.
Where people from Lake Madison work
Where Lake Madison clocks in
16% 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.
How a workday changes Lake Madison
On a workday 360 residents head out to work, 14 work right here, and 84 people come in from elsewhere.
About 660 people are in Lake Madison on a workday afternoon, 29% fewer than live here.
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 Lake Madison’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake Madison, 2013 → 2023: 35 → 98. 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 Madison’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Lake Madison
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.
How Lake Madison compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Wentworth Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake Madison workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Madison | – | — | — | 17 min | $129,191 |
| Wentworth Township | 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Chester Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wentworth Township and Chester Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lake Madison’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 Madison: questions
What is the median household income in Lake Madison?
$129,191 (±$49,280) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake Madison?
1.0%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake Madison?
17 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake Madison work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (36%, 33 mi), Madison (16%, 5 mi), Brookings (5%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lake Madison without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lake Madison, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake Madison
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.