Benton has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.3 for each
Commuters spend 21 minutes getting to work on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 72 jobs are based in Benton, against 238 working residents. Hardly any stay in Benton for work; outside it, Dubuque is the main destination (11%, 17 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Benton, in brief
Benton is a place people come home to
There are 72 jobs based in Benton, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Benton has about 360 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Benton workers cross into Iowa
21% of Benton workers work outside Wisconsin, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Dubuque (11%) is one of the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 238 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who works in Benton, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 236 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 70 people come in from elsewhere.
About 360 people are in Benton on a workday afternoon, 31% 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 2024, primary jobs.
Where Benton goes to work
Where Benton clocks in
11% of workers
9% of workers
8% 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.
Benton makes things: 47% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Benton, 2014 → 2024: 47 → 72. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Benton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 21 minutes in Benton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Benton workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 238 commuters (the 8% 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.
Half of Benton commutes less than 17 miles
About 27% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Around Benton: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Cuba City (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Benton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | – | — | — | 21 min | $79,000 |
| New Diggings | under 3% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Cuba City | 3% | A− | C+ | 22 min | $74,571 |
| Hazel Green | under 3% | C+ | B | 30 min | $64,688 |
| Hazel Green | under 3% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Smelser | under 3% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Elk Grove | under 3% | — | — | 16 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. New Diggings, Smelser and Elk Grove: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Hazel Green: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Benton’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 2024, 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 Benton: questions
What is the median household income in Benton?
$79,000 (±$11,740) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Benton?
7.5%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Benton?
21 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Benton work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dubuque (11%, 17 mi), Platteville (9%, 11 mi), Shullsburg (8%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Benton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Benton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Benton
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.