Where Birch earns its living
The average commute takes 25 minutes each way; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26. Hardly any stay in Birch for work; outside it, Merrill is the main destination (22%, 11 miles). Employers in Birch report 237 jobs, and 291 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Birch stands out on work
The commute from Birch, by distance
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.
Birch by day and by night
On a workday 289 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 235 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.81 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 Birch goes to work
Where Birch clocks in
22% of workers
11% of workers
9% 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.
Services make up most of the work in Birch
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Birch, 2013 → 2023: 247 → 237. 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 Birch’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Birch: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Birch workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 276 commuters (the 15% 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.
Work in the towns next to Birch
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Birch workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch | – | — | — | 25 min | $87,750 |
| Rock Falls | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Russell | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Skanawan | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Rock Falls and Skanawan: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Russell: the same community as the town of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Birch’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 Birch: questions
What is the median household income in Birch?
$87,750 (±$17,859) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Birch?
6.5%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Birch?
25 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Birch work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Merrill (22%, 11 mi), Wausau (11%, 26 mi), Tomahawk (9%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Birch 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 Birch, from the people who make the trip.
More of Birch
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.