Earning a living in Wakpala Township
Only 2% stay in Wakpala Township for work; outside it, McLaughlin is the main destination (16%, 13 miles). 0% of workers work from home; South Dakota has 10%. Employers in Wakpala Township report 44 jobs, and 56 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Wakpala Township
On a workday 55 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 43 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 (0.79 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.
Out of Wakpala Township to work: where people go
Where Wakpala Township clocks in
16% of workers
5% 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.
Most jobs in Wakpala Township are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wakpala Township, 2013 → 2023: 136 → 44. 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 Wakpala Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Working from home in Wakpala Township
of Wakpala Township workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19 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.
How many miles Wakpala Township commutes
About 24% 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.
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 Wakpala Township: questions
What is the median household income in Wakpala Township?
$20,938 (±$7,000) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wakpala Township?
75.0%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
Where do people who live in Wakpala Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are McLaughlin (16%, 13 mi), Mobridge (5%, 13 mi), McIntosh (4%, 40 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Wakpala Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wakpala Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wakpala 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.