Where Blaine earns its living
22% of workers work from home, against 13% across Wisconsin. Only 2% work in Blaine; the top destination outside it is Swiss (9%, 9 miles). The average commute takes 26 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who works in Blaine, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 52 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 37 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.
0.72 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 2023, primary jobs.
Where Blaine goes to work
Where Blaine clocks in
9% of workers
6% 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.
Goods jobs make up 32% of work in Blaine
38 jobs are based in Blaine.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Blaine, 2013 → 2023: 77 → 38. 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 Blaine’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Blaine: 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 Blaine workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 38 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Blaine
About 43% 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.
Blaine and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Blaine workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine | – | — | — | 26 min | $54,639 |
| Dairyland | under 2% | — | — | 41 min | — |
| Swiss | 9% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Minong | under 2% | C+ | C+ | 26 min | $75,000 |
| Webb Lake | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Dairyland, Swiss and Webb Lake: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Swiss. Darker towns draw more of Blaine’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 Blaine: questions
What is the median household income in Blaine?
$54,639 (±$13,805) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Blaine?
16.3%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Blaine?
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 Blaine work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Swiss (9%, 9 mi), Scott (8%, 14 mi), Siren (6%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Blaine without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Blaine, from the people who make the trip.
More of Blaine
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.