Work & commute · Bemidji

Work & commute in Bemidji, MN

55% of Bemidji’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Cass Lake (3%), Red Lake (2%) and Northern (2%). Half commute less than 3 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

55%

3,466 of 6,282 working residents

Typical commute

3 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

17 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 2,816 Bemidji residents head out of town to work, 3,466 work right here, and 10,829 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Bemidji.

2,816live here, work elsewhere

3,466live and work here

10,829work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Bemidji goes to work

Bemidji (in town)right here

55%3,466

Cass Lake15.2 mi away

3%206

Red Lake27.1 mi away

2%139

Northern4.4 mi away

2%126

Pike Bay15.4 mi away

2%115

Minneapolis190.7 mi away

1%86

Bemidji3.3 mi away

1%80

Bagley24.4 mi away

1%73

Fargo, ND101 mi away

1%73

Little Rock28 mi away

1%62

Everywhere elseother towns and states

30%1,856

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Bemidji commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

61%

23%

61%Under 10 mi

9%10–24 mi

7%25–50 mi

23%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Bemidji is a job hub

2.28jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.3 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Bemidji are

14,295 jobs are based in Bemidji. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Bemidji’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Bemidji

14,295 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)7%

Trade, transport & utilities23%

Services (health, schools, offices…)70%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month56%

Jobs Bemidji residents hold

6,282 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities19%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month54%

+15%

Jobs based in Bemidji, 2013 → 2023: 12,406 → 14,295. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.