Earning a living in Bruce
About one in ten work in Bruce; the top destination outside it is Ladysmith (11%, 9 miles). The trip to work takes 34 minutes on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 464 jobs are based in Bruce, against 323 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Bruce apart
Bruce workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 34 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 261 hours of commuting, 92 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The jobs in Bruce pay better than its residents’ jobs
71% of the jobs based in Bruce pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 54% of the jobs Bruce residents hold. 93% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Bruce. The jobs ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. 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 323 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
About 34 minutes each way for Bruce’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bruce workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 299 commuters (the 8% 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.
71% of the jobs in Bruce pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bruce, 2013 → 2023: 161 → 464. 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 Bruce’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Bruce’s workers travel
About 30% 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.
A workday in Bruce: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 289 residents head out to work, 34 work right here, and 430 people come in from elsewhere.
About 890 people are in Bruce on a workday afternoon, 19% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.44 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 the trip to work from Bruce ends
Where Bruce clocks in
Lines 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.
How Bruce compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bruce workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce | – | — | — | 34 min | $52,667 |
| Stubbs | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Thornapple | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Atlanta | under 2% | — | — | 36 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Stubbs, Thornapple and Atlanta: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bruce’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 Bruce: questions
What is the median household income in Bruce?
$52,667 (±$7,934) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bruce?
16.9%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bruce?
34 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bruce work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ladysmith (11%, 9 mi), Eau Claire (9%, 46 mi), Rice Lake (5%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Bruce without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bruce, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bruce
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.