Earning a living in Willow Creek
A typical one-way commute lasts 46 minutes, next to 19 for Montana and 26 for the U.S. Only 5% work in Willow Creek itself; outside it, Bozeman draws the most (16%, 30 miles). There are 92 jobs in Willow Creek; 74 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Willow Creek on a workday
On a workday 70 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 88 people come in from elsewhere.
About 200 people are in Willow Creek on a workday afternoon, 10% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.24 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Willow Creek’s working residents head each day
Where Willow Creek clocks in
16% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Jobs in Willow Creek: what the 92 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Willow Creek, 2013 → 2023: 34 → 92. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Willow Creek’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 46 minutes in Willow Creek
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Willow Creek workers work from home, vs 13% across Montana. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 57 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Montana: 81% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Willow Creek
About 18% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Willow Creek: questions
What is the median household income in Willow Creek?
$62,857 (±$13,918) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,509 across Montana and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Willow Creek?
9.9%, against 11.5% across Montana and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Willow Creek?
46 minutes each way on average, against 19 across Montana and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Willow Creek work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bozeman (16%, 30 mi), Belgrade (7%, 23 mi), Three Forks (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Willow Creek without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Willow Creek, from the people who make the trip.
More of Willow Creek
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer.