Bern has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Hardly any stay in Bern for work; outside it, Wausau is the main destination (15%, 25 miles). Employers in Bern report 31 jobs, against 262 working residents. Home is the office for 19% of workers, next to 13% for Wisconsin as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Bern at work: what stands out
Bern is a place people come home to
There are 31 jobs based in Bern, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Bern has about 390 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Bern’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Bern is Wausau, 25 miles away as the crow flies. 15% of working residents (40) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. 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 262 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who leaves Bern for work, and who comes in
On a workday 260 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 29 people come in from elsewhere.
About 390 people are in Bern on a workday afternoon, 37% 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.
The distance from Bern to work
About 24% 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.
Out of Bern to work: where people go
Where Bern clocks in
15% of workers
10% of workers
7% 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.
52% of the jobs in Bern make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bern, 2013 → 2023: 38 → 31. 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 Bern’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Bern: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bern workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 199 commuters (the 19% 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.
Bordering towns draw 16% of Bern’s workers
The biggest share goes to Athens (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bern workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bern | – | — | — | 22 min | $78,929 |
| Athens | 10% | C− | B− | 26 min | $52,750 |
| Deer Creek | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Johnson | 6% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Halsey | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Deer Creek, Johnson and Halsey: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bern’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 Bern: questions
What is the median household income in Bern?
$78,929 (±$8,021) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bern?
9.2%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bern?
22 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bern work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wausau (15%, 25 mi), Athens (10%, 5 mi), Marathon City (7%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Bern 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 Bern, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bern
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.