Work & commute · Nelson

Work & commute in Nelson, MN

Most working residents leave Nelson for work: only 0% work in town. The top destinations are Madelia (20%), Mankato (14%) and New Ulm (10%). Half commute less than 25 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times
Work in town
0%
0 of 106 working residents
Typical commute
25 mi
Half commute less than this, straight-line
Average commute time
17 min
One way, from the Census survey
Work from home
12%
of workers, from the Census survey
Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 106 Nelson residents head out of town to work, 0 work right here, and 20 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Nelson.

106live here, work elsewhere
0live and work here
20work here, live elsewhere
Leave for workStayCome in
The map

Where Nelson goes to work

RocktonMadison LakeMadeliaLake CrystalSt. JamesJacksonSt. PeterNorth MankatoNew UlmMarshallOwatonnaMankatoRochesterSioux FallsLake PrairieNelsonAdrianMadeliaRiverdaleMulliganSt. JamesAlbinMadeliaMankatoNew UlmSt. JamesLake CrystalNorth MankatoJacksonSt. PeterMarshallSioux FallsNelson
1
Madelia12.4 mi away
20%21
2
Mankato35.2 mi away
14%15
3
New Ulm19.8 mi away
10%11
4
St. James6 mi away
7%7
5
Lake Crystal22.5 mi away
4%4
6
North Mankato32.2 mi away
4%4
7
Jackson34.2 mi away
3%3
8
St. Peter39.3 mi away
3%3
9
Marshall61.5 mi away
3%3
10
Sioux Falls, SD109 mi away
2%2
Everywhere elseother towns and states
31%33

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

How far

How far Nelson commutes

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

11%Under 10 mi
38%10–24 mi
30%25–50 mi
21%Over 50 mi
Job hub or commuter town?

Nelson is a commuter town

0.19jobs per working resident
A commuter town

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

The jobs

What the jobs in Nelson are

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

Jobs based in Nelson

20 jobs
Goods (factories, building, farms)35%
Trade, transport & utilities5%
Services (health, schools, offices…)60%
$1,250 a month or less20%
$1,251–$3,333 a month10%
Over $3,333 a month70%

Jobs Nelson residents hold

106 working residents
Goods (factories, building, farms)27%
Trade, transport & utilities17%
Services (health, schools, offices…)56%
$1,250 a month or less14%
$1,251–$3,333 a month28%
Over $3,333 a month58%
−5%

Jobs based in Nelson, 2013 → 2023: 21 → 20. 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.

The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Nelson, MNWatonwan CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01