Work & commute · Freeborn

Work & commute in Freeborn, MN

Most working residents leave Freeborn for work: only 2% work in town. The top destinations are Albert Lea (28%), Owatonna (7%) and New Richland (5%). Half commute less than 15 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

2 of 101 working residents

Typical commute

15 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

27 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 99 Freeborn residents head out of town to work, 2 work right here, and 47 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Freeborn.

99live here, work elsewhere

2live and work here

47work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Freeborn goes to work

Albert Lea12.6 mi away

28%28

Owatonna27.9 mi away

7%7

New Richland9.5 mi away

5%5

Wells8.6 mi away

5%5

Hartland4.8 mi away

4%4

Austin30 mi away

4%4

Rochester56.7 mi away

4%4

Alden6.8 mi away

3%3

Eagan75.2 mi away

3%3

Minneapolis84 mi away

3%3

Everywhere elseother towns and states

35%35

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

How far

How far Freeborn commutes

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

23%

36%

16%

26%

23%Under 10 mi

36%10–24 mi

16%25–50 mi

26%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Freeborn is a commuter town

0.49jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.49 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Freeborn are

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

Jobs based in Freeborn

49 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)78%

Trade, transport & utilities0%

Services (health, schools, offices…)22%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month14%

Over $3,333 a month69%

Jobs Freeborn residents hold

101 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)28%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)50%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month23%

Over $3,333 a month60%

+53%

Jobs based in Freeborn, 2013 → 2023: 32 → 49. 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.