Bloomington has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.5 for each
The average commute takes 24 minutes each way; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26. Employers in Bloomington report 75 jobs; 157 of its residents have a job. Only 1% work in Bloomington; the top destination outside it is Prairie du Chien (18%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Bloomington
On a workday 155 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 73 people come in from elsewhere.
About 250 people are in Bloomington on a workday afternoon, 25% 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.
Where Bloomington goes to work
Where Bloomington clocks in
18% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 39% of the jobs in Bloomington
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bloomington, 2013 → 2023: 56 → 75. 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 Bloomington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 24 minutes in Bloomington
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bloomington workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 161 commuters (the 12% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Bloomington
About 28% 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.
Next door to Bloomington
The biggest share goes to Patch Grove (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bloomington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | – | — | — | 24 min | $102,188 |
| Bagley | 2% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Glen Haven | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| Little Grant | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Patch Grove | 3% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Wyalusing | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Beetown | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Bagley, Glen Haven, Little Grant, Patch Grove, Wyalusing and Beetown: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bloomington’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 Bloomington: questions
What is the median household income in Bloomington?
$102,188 (±$28,765) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bloomington?
7.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bloomington?
24 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bloomington work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Prairie du Chien (18%, 13 mi), Bridgeport (8%, 11 mi), Lancaster (7%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Bloomington 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 Bloomington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bloomington
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.