Photo: VazDrae · CC BY-SA 3.0Earning a living in Black Earth
The average commute takes 26 minutes each way; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26. Home is the office for 22% of workers; Wisconsin has 13%. Only 2% stay in Black Earth for work; outside it, Madison is the main destination (34%, 19 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Black Earth: the figures worth knowing
One in three of Black Earth works in Madison
91 working residents, 34%, have their main job in Madison, 19 miles away. That’s 17 times as many as work in Black Earth itself. The commute map ↓
A lot of Black Earth works from home
22% of Black Earth workers work from home, against 13% across Wisconsin. Time on the road ↓
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 270 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Black Earth goes to work
Where Black Earth clocks in
34% of workers
8% 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.
Time on the road from Black Earth: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Black Earth workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 199 commuters (the 22% 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.
Who commutes out of Black Earth, and who commutes in
On a workday 265 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 164 people come in from elsewhere.
About 400 people are in Black Earth on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.63 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Black Earth
169 jobs are based in Black Earth.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Black Earth, 2014 → 2024: 179 → 169. 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 Black Earth’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Black Earth
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.
The towns around Black Earth
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Black Earth workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Earth | – | — | — | 26 min | $136,667 |
| Vermont | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Berry | under 2% | A− | C+ | 23 min | $83,750 |
| Mazomanie | under 2% | A− | D− | 23 min | $87,679 |
Same-state neighbors only. Vermont: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Black Earth’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 Black Earth: questions
What is the median household income in Black Earth?
$136,667 (±$20,041) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Black Earth?
2.3%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Black Earth?
26 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Black Earth work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Madison (34%, 19 mi), Middleton (8%, 15 mi), Mazomanie (7%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Black Earth 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 Black Earth, from the people who make the trip.
More of Black Earth
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.