Making a living in Wolsey
Working residents average 17 minutes each way, about the same as across South Dakota. 2% of workers work from home; South Dakota has 10%. Only 8% stay in Wolsey for work; outside it, Huron is the main destination (30%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Wolsey
On a workday 182 residents head out to work, 15 work right here, and 121 people come in from elsewhere.
About 410 people are in Wolsey on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.69 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.
Out of Wolsey to work: where people go
Where Wolsey 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.
What Wolsey’s employers do
136 jobs are based in Wolsey.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wolsey, 2013 → 2023: 140 → 136. 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 Wolsey’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Wolsey: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wolsey workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 325 commuters (the 2% 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 far Wolsey goes to work
About 33% 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 Wolsey compares with the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wolsey workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolsey | – | — | — | 17 min | $57,500 |
| Wolsey Township | under 3% | — | — | 15 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wolsey Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Wolsey’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 Wolsey: questions
What is the median household income in Wolsey?
$57,500 (±$5,788) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wolsey?
6.4%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wolsey?
17 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wolsey work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Huron (30%, 14 mi), Sioux Falls (6%, 105 mi), Hitchcock (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Wolsey 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 Wolsey, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wolsey
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.