Northfield Sees Gain in Workers During the Day

Written by James Warden.

Northfield's many workplaces have made the community a draw for workers, according to recently released Census data.

About 10 percent more workers come into the city than live here, based on estimates from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey. In all, commuters increase the city’s population by 1,961 people—from a resident population of 19,414 to a population of 21,375 during the workday.

These figures favorably to Faribault, which sees a 5 percent bump in its daytime population, and with Apple Valley, Rosemount, Lakeville and Burnsville—all of which saw a net outflow of residents during the workday.

Use the map above to compare how Minnesota cities fared. The map is colored according to each city’s “employment-residence ratio”—which compares the number of workers in a community to the number of workers who live there. 

Ratios greater than 1.0 mean more people work in a community than it has workers living there. A community with a ranking of 1.19, for example, would have 19 percent more workers working there. By contrast, communities with ratios less than 1.0 send more residents to other communities to work than they receive.

The colors mean:

• Red: .23 to .5
• Yellow: .5 to 1
• Blue: 1 to 1.5
• Green: 1.5 to 5

The map only includes communities with either 2,500 workers living there or 2,500 workers who go there to work.