Commonwealth has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
4% of workers have no commute at all (Wisconsin 13%). Employers in Commonwealth report 34 jobs, against 189 working residents. Commuters spend 14 minutes getting to work on average; the Wisconsin average is 22, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
How a workday changes Commonwealth
On a workday 189 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 34 people come in from elsewhere.
About 250 people are in Commonwealth on a workday afternoon, 38% 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.
26% of working residents work in Florence
Where Commonwealth clocks in
14% of workers
8% 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.
Commonwealth makes things: 35% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Commonwealth, 2013 → 2023: 16 → 34. 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 Commonwealth’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 14 minutes in Commonwealth
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Commonwealth workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 212 commuters (the 4% 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 Commonwealth
About 33% 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.
Bordering towns draw 26% of Commonwealth’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Commonwealth workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth | – | — | — | 14 min | $60,515 |
| Florence | 26% | C− | C− | 18 min | $58,832 |
| Fern | under 2% | — | — | 46 min | — |
| Homestead | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Aurora | under 2% | C+ | D | 20 min | $78,935 |
Same-state neighbors only. Fern and Homestead: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Florence. Darker towns draw more of Commonwealth’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 Commonwealth: questions
What is the median household income in Commonwealth?
$60,515 (±$13,252) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Commonwealth?
6.1%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Commonwealth?
14 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Commonwealth work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Florence (26%, 7 mi), Iron Mountain (14%, 9 mi), Kingsford (8%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Commonwealth without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Commonwealth, from the people who make the trip.
More of Commonwealth
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.