Photo: National Park Service · Public domainUnemployment in Yankton (2.0%) is lower than in 85% of U.S. towns
More than half work in Yankton; the top destination outside it is Sioux Falls (9%, 56 miles). For jobs and income Yankton is better than 46% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (A). A typical one-way commute lasts 13 minutes (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 Yankton apart
Yankton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Yankton is Sioux Falls, 56 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (699) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Most jobs in Yankton go to people who live here
Of the 9,866 jobs based in Yankton, 46% are held by Yankton residents. In most towns, people from elsewhere hold most of the local jobs. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Yankton 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Yankton
Unemployment holds Yankton’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (14.1%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Yankton could be anywhere from C to B.
How many miles Yankton 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.
The daily flow of workers through Yankton
On a workday 2,891 residents head out to work, 4,561 work right here, and 5,305 people come in from elsewhere.
About 18,000 people are in Yankton on a workday afternoon, 15% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.32 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.
About 13 minutes each way for Yankton’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Yankton workers work from home, vs 10% across South Dakota. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,050 commuters (the 6% 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 towns that employ Yankton’s residents
Where Yankton clocks in
2% of workers
1% 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.
30% of the jobs in Yankton make or build things
9,866 jobs are based in Yankton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Yankton, 2013 → 2023: 9,090 → 9,866. 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 Yankton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Yankton is easy on foot, hard by bus
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 7,461 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.3% of Yankton households have no vehicle (South Dakota 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Yankton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Yankton places 1,405th of 2,109 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 11,000 to 21,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 128 | Brandon SD | 11,306 | $111K | 1.4% | 1.2% | 17% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,148 | Pierre SD | 13,848 | $78K | 10.1% | 1.2% | 65% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,403 | Mitchell SD | 15,756 | $59K | 12.5% | 1.0% | 60% | B− |
| 1,404 | Walnut Park CA | 14,958 | $80K | 17.1% | 7.8% | 2% | B− |
| 1,405 | Yankton SD | 15,816 | $68K | 14.1% | 2.0% | 61% | B− |
| 1,406 | Brookside DE | 15,115 | $78K | 14.6% | 6.1% | 3% | B− |
| 1,407 | Owego NY | 18,745 | $86K | 13.6% | 4.4% | 21% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,409 | Box Elder SD | 13,936 | $73K | 7.5% | 4.9% | 7% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,109 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Yankton, the top three, the last and three more from South Dakota.
The towns around Yankton
The biggest share goes to Utica Township (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Yankton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yankton | – | B− | A | 13 min | $67,804 |
| Utica Township | 1% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Mission Hill Township | under 1% | — | — | 15 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Utica Township and Mission Hill Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Yankton’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 Yankton: questions
What is the median household income in Yankton?
$67,804 (±$10,073) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $75,081 across South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Yankton?
14.1%, against 11.9% across South Dakota and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Yankton?
13 minutes each way on average, against 18 across South Dakota and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Yankton work?
61% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sioux Falls (9%, 56 mi), Sioux City (2%, 58 mi), Vermillion (1%, 25 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Yankton walkable?
Yankton is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 8.4 out of 20, and 8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Yankton without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Yankton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Yankton
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.