Work means Brookings for more than half of White’s working residents
The trip to work takes 27 minutes on average; South Dakota averages 18, the U.S. 26. Only 2% stay in White for work; outside it, Brookings is the main destination (52%, 12 miles). Employers in White report 65 jobs; 261 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in White, in a few figures
More than half of White works in Brookings
136 working residents, 52%, have their main job in Brookings, 12 miles away. That’s 26 times as many as work in White itself. The commute map ↓
White is a place people come home to
There are 65 jobs based in White, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday White has about 380 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
White workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 27 minutes each way, against 18 across South Dakota. Over a year that’s about 207 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical 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 261 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Commuting out of White: the destinations
Where White clocks in
Lines 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.
White by day and by night
On a workday 255 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 59 people come in from elsewhere.
About 380 people are in White on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.
0.25 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.
Commuting from White: about 27 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of White workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 279 commuters (the 9% 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.
What White’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in White, 2013 → 2023: 155 → 65. 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 White’s own residents hold wherever they work.
White’s commute, mile by mile
About 26% 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.
White and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | White workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | – | — | — | 27 min | $67,639 |
| Afton Township | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Sherman Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Afton Township and Sherman Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of White’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 White: questions
What is the median household income in White?
$67,639 (±$21,353) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in White?
4.1%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from White?
27 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 White work?
2% work in town.
Can you get around White without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from White, from the people who make the trip.
More of White
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.