Atlanta has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
There are 56 jobs in Atlanta for 259 working residents. Only 1% stay in Atlanta for work; outside it, Rice Lake is the main destination (14%, 20 miles). The trip to work takes 36 minutes on average, next to 22 for Wisconsin and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Atlanta, in brief
Atlanta is a place people come home to
There are 56 jobs based in Atlanta, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Atlanta has about 370 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Atlanta workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 107 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 259 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The workday shuffle in and out of Atlanta
On a workday 256 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 53 people come in from elsewhere.
About 370 people are in Atlanta on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
About 36 minutes each way, longer than most of Wisconsin
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Atlanta workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 237 commuters (the 9% who work from home are left out). Across Wisconsin: 86% 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.
How many miles Atlanta commutes
About 31% 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.
Where the trip to work from Atlanta ends
Where Atlanta clocks in
Lines 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.
82% of the jobs in Atlanta make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Atlanta, 2013 → 2023: 35 → 56. 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 Atlanta’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Work in the towns next to Atlanta
The biggest share goes to Bruce (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Atlanta workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | – | — | — | 36 min | $78,438 |
| Thornapple | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Stubbs | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Murry | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Wilkinson | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| Bruce | 4% | — | — | 34 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Thornapple, Stubbs, Murry, Wilkinson and Bruce: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Atlanta’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
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 Atlanta: questions
What is the median household income in Atlanta?
$78,438 (±$19,241) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Atlanta?
8.6%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Atlanta?
36 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Atlanta work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rice Lake (14%, 20 mi), Ladysmith (10%, 12 mi), Bruce (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Atlanta without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Atlanta, from the people who make the trip.
More of Atlanta
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.