Photo: Lpangelrob · CC BY-SA 3.0Murdo at work: jobs, income and the commute
About two in five work in Murdo; the top destination outside it is Rapid City (7%, 125 miles). Working from home is the commute for 4% of workers, where South Dakota as a whole has 10%. Commuters spend 12 minutes getting to work on average; South Dakota averages 18, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Murdo on a workday
On a workday 110 residents head out to work, 77 work right here, and 139 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 (1.16 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.
Commuting out of Murdo: the destinations
Where Murdo clocks in
7% of workers
6% of workers
4% 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.
What work there is in Murdo: 216 jobs
216 jobs are based in Murdo.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Murdo, 2013 → 2023: 281 → 216. 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 Murdo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Murdo: about 12 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 3.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Murdo workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 270 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.
The distance from Murdo to work
About 32% 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.
How Murdo compares with the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Murdo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdo | – | — | — | 12 min | $67,045 |
| Buffalo Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Buffalo Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Murdo’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 Murdo: questions
What is the median household income in Murdo?
$67,045 (±$22,695) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Murdo?
21.7%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Murdo?
12 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 Murdo work?
41% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rapid City (7%, 125 mi), Pierre (6%, 39 mi), Fort Pierre (4%, 37 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Murdo without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Murdo, from the people who make the trip.
More of Murdo
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.