With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Ortley works elsewhere
There are 2 jobs in Ortley, and 25 of its residents work somewhere. Hardly any stay in Ortley for work; outside it, Sisseton is the main destination (40%, 24 miles). 0% of workers have no commute at all, against 10% across South Dakota.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Ortley, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 25 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 2 people come in from elsewhere.
About 32 people are in Ortley on a workday afternoon, 42% 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.
Commuting out of Ortley: the destinations
Where Ortley clocks in
40% of workers
12% of workers
8% 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.
100% of the jobs in Ortley pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ortley, 2013 → 2023: 2 → 2. 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 Ortley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Ortley’s commute takes about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ortley workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 22 commuters (the 0% 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 commute from Ortley, by distance
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.
How Ortley compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ortley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ortley | – | — | — | 18 min | $31,806 |
| Ortley Township | under 4% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Waubay Township | under 4% | — | — | 18 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Ortley Township and Waubay Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ortley’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.
- Two counts of out-of-state work. The Census survey asks workers where they work: 0% of Ortley workers work outside South Dakota. The job records count 16% at employers in other states. The records use the address the employer reports and skip the self-employed, so the two can differ.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Ortley: questions
What is the median household income in Ortley?
$31,806 (±$9,947) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ortley?
47.9%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ortley?
18 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ortley work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sisseton (40%, 24 mi), Agency Village (12%, 18 mi), Fargo (8%, 107 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Ortley 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 Ortley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ortley
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.