E.B. Bobb House · Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Fewer people are out of work in Mitchell (1.0%) than in 94% of U.S. towns
More than half stay in Mitchell for work; outside it, Sioux Falls is the main destination (11%, 67 miles). Mitchell grades B− for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Measured by household income, Mitchell is behind 76% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Mitchell
Mitchell’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Mitchell is Sioux Falls, 67 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (881) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Most jobs in Mitchell go to people who live here
Of the 10,340 jobs based in Mitchell, 48% are held by Mitchell residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Mitchell are quick
The average trip to work takes 13 minutes, against 18 across South Dakota. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical South Dakota worker. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Mitchell
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Mitchell is better than 47% of U.S. towns, #20 of 35 in South Dakota. Unemployment holds Mitchell’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($58,620, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Mitchell could be anywhere from C+ to B.
How far it is to work from Mitchell
About 28% 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.
A workday in Mitchell: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 3,227 residents head out to work, 4,933 work right here, and 5,407 people come in from elsewhere.
About 18,000 people are in Mitchell on a workday afternoon, 14% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.27 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.
About 13 minutes each way, quicker than most of South Dakota
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Mitchell workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,811 commuters (the 8% 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.
Out of Mitchell to work: where people go
Where Mitchell clocks in
1% 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.
Inside Mitchell’s 10,340 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Mitchell, 2013 → 2023: 9,801 → 10,340. 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 Mitchell’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Mitchell is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Mitchell is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #12 of 35 in South Dakota. Both inputs place Mitchell near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,496 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.4% of Mitchell households have no vehicle (South Dakota 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Mitchell’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Mitchell ranks: 1,403rd of 2,109 U.S. towns of 11,000 to 21,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 128 | Brandon SD | 11,306 | $111K | 1.4% | 1.2% | 17% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,148 | Pierre SD | 13,848 | $78K | 10.1% | 1.2% | 65% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,401 | Warrensburg MO | 20,283 | $57K | 16.2% | 6.0% | 34% | B− |
| 1,402 | Shawangunk NY | 13,609 | $110K | 35.9% | 4.0% | 11% | B− |
| 1,403 | Mitchell SD | 15,756 | $59K | 12.5% | 1.0% | 60% | B− |
| 1,404 | Walnut Park CA | 14,958 | $80K | 17.1% | 7.8% | 2% | B− |
| 1,405 | Yankton SD | 15,816 | $68K | 14.1% | 2.0% | 61% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,409 | Box Elder SD | 13,936 | $73K | 7.5% | 4.9% | 7% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,109 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Mitchell, the top three, the last and three more from South Dakota.
Mitchell and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Mitchell workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell | – | B− | A− | 13 min | $58,620 |
| Perry Township | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
| Badger Township | under 1% | — | — | 21 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Perry Township and Badger Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Mitchell’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 Mitchell: questions
What is the median household income in Mitchell?
$58,620 (±$7,441) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Mitchell?
12.5%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Mitchell?
13 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Mitchell work?
60% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (11%, 67 mi), Brookings (2%, 74 mi), Yankton (1%, 66 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Mitchell walkable?
Mitchell is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.8 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Mitchell without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Mitchell, from the people who make the trip.
More of Mitchell
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.