Watertown draws about two in three of Pelican Township’s working residents
Employers in Pelican Township report 123 jobs for 390 working residents. Hardly any stay in Pelican Township for work; outside it, Watertown is the main destination (66%, 5 miles). The average commute takes 13 minutes each way (South Dakota 18, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Pelican Township apart
More than half of Pelican Township works in Watertown
258 working residents, 66%, have their main job in Watertown, 5.2 miles away across the town line. That’s far more as work in Pelican Township itself. The commute map ↓
Most Pelican Township residents work close to home
69% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Commutes from Pelican Township 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; with 390 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Pelican Township goes to work
Where Pelican Township clocks in
66% 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.
The commute from Pelican Township, by distance
About 22% 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.
Each way, about 13 minutes from Pelican Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pelican Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 539 commuters (the 5% 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.
Pelican Township by day and by night
On a workday 389 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 122 people come in from elsewhere.
About 510 people are in Pelican Township on a workday afternoon, 35% fewer than live here.
0.32 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.
42% of the jobs in Pelican Township make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pelican Township, 2013 → 2023: 103 → 123. 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 Pelican Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Next door is work for 68% of Pelican Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pelican Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelican Township | – | — | — | 13 min | $98,977 |
| Watertown | 66% | B | B | 13 min | $69,600 |
| Kampeska Township | under 1% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Oxford Township | under 1% | — | — | — | — |
| Lake Township | under 1% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Sheridan Township | 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Kampeska Township, Oxford Township, Lake Township and Sheridan Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Watertown. Darker towns draw more of Pelican 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 Pelican Township: questions
What is the median household income in Pelican Township?
$98,977 (±$36,696) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pelican Township?
17.8%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pelican Township?
13 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pelican Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Watertown (66%, 5 mi), Sioux Falls (9%, 93 mi), Huron (2%, 60 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Pelican 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 Pelican Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pelican 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.