Oakdale Squarely in 'Bedroom Community' Category, Census Says

(Patch field editor James Sanna wrote this post.)

Next time you experience morning rush-hour traffic out of Oakdale, you'll have a number to explain why.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau puts in the Twin Cities, Oak Grove is the biggest "bedroom community," the newspaper reported, with a 47 percent daily net loss in population from commuting.

ACS data show that Oakdale's daily net loss is not that extreme, at 19.7 percent.
Meanwhile, "job-magnet" communities such as Arden Hills and Roseville gain population during the workday.

The data comes from the American Community Survey, which samples 250,000 households every month and uses sophisticated analysis techniques to extrapolate those results into community-wide trends.