Work & commute · Watford

Work & commute in Watford, ND

About one in 3 of Watford’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Williston (5%), Minot (2%) and Fargo (2%). Half commute less than 5 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

38%

1,096 of 2,880 working residents

Typical commute

5 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

21 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 1,784 Watford residents head out of town to work, 1,096 work right here, and 2,072 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Watford.

1,784live here, work elsewhere

1,096live and work here

2,072work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Watford goes to work

Watford City (in town)right here

38%1,096

Williston32.1 mi away

5%142

Minot96.6 mi away

2%66

Fargo308.2 mi away

2%61

Arnegard10.3 mi away

2%60

Judson34.8 mi away

2%59

Bismarck135.4 mi away

2%57

Williston32.9 mi away

1%37

Dickinson66.6 mi away

1%34

Grail19.6 mi away

1%27

Everywhere elseother towns and states

43%1,241

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

How far

How far Watford commutes

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

59%

16%

17%

59%Under 10 mi

8%10–24 mi

16%25–50 mi

17%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Watford is balanced between jobs and homes

1.10jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.10 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Watford are

3,168 jobs are based in Watford. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Watford’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Watford

3,168 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities22%

Services (health, schools, offices…)61%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month62%

Jobs Watford residents hold

2,880 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)31%

Trade, transport & utilities25%

Services (health, schools, offices…)44%

$1,250 a month or less10%

$1,251–$3,333 a month17%

Over $3,333 a month73%

+15%

Jobs based in Watford, 2013 → 2023: 2,760 → 3,168. 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.