Forest Lodge Library · Photo: Billertl · CC BY-SA 3.0Earning a living in Cable
The average commute takes 33 minutes each way (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26). About one in seven stay in Cable for work; outside it, Hayward is the main destination (12%, 16 miles). Employers in Cable report 248 jobs for 313 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Cable, in brief
Cable workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 84 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% 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 313 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Commuting from Cable: about 33 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Cable workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 324 commuters (the 18% 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.
How far Cable goes to work
About 35% 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.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 271 residents head out to work, 42 work right here, and 206 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 (0.79 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 Cable ends
Where Cable clocks in
12% 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.
The kinds of work in Cable
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Cable, 2013 → 2023: 244 → 248. 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 Cable’s own residents hold wherever they work.
20% of Cable works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Namakagon (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Cable workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable | – | — | — | 33 min | $54,016 |
| Drummond | 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Barnes | 8% | — | — | 42 min | — |
| Spider Lake | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Lenroot | under 2% | C− | C+ | 20 min | $64,250 |
| Namakagon | 9% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Drummond, Barnes, Spider Lake and Namakagon: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Cable’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 Cable: questions
What is the median household income in Cable?
$54,016 (±$2,390) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Cable?
15.0%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Cable?
33 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Cable work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hayward (12%, 16 mi), Namakagon (9%, 12 mi), Barnes (8%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Cable without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Cable, from the people who make the trip.
More of Cable
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.