Jobs, income and commuting in Dorchester, WI
Commuters spend 17 minutes getting to work on average, next to 22 for Wisconsin and 26 for the U.S. Only 7% work in Dorchester; the top destination outside it is Abbotsford (22%, 4 miles). There are 482 jobs in Dorchester, against 336 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Dorchester, in brief
Dorchester makes and builds things
78% of the jobs based in Dorchester are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Dorchester residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 43%. The jobs ↓
The jobs in Dorchester pay better than its residents’ jobs
76% of the jobs based in Dorchester pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 55% of the jobs Dorchester residents hold. 95% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Dorchester. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Dorchester are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 22 across Wisconsin. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Wisconsin worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 336 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Dorchester makes things: 78% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Dorchester, 2014 → 2024: 508 → 482. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Dorchester’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Dorchester takes about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dorchester workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 350 commuters (the 7% 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.
Who commutes out of Dorchester, and who commutes in
On a workday 314 residents head out to work, 22 work right here, and 460 people come in from elsewhere.
About 990 people are in Dorchester on a workday afternoon, 17% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.43 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where Dorchester’s working residents head each day
Where Dorchester clocks in
22% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Dorchester
About 24% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Work in the towns next to Dorchester
The biggest share goes to Mayville (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dorchester workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester | – | — | — | 17 min | $60,536 |
| Mayville | 4% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Holton | 3% | — | — | 16 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Mayville: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. Holton: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Dorchester’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 2024, 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 Dorchester: questions
What is the median household income in Dorchester?
$60,536 (±$12,654) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dorchester?
13.5%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dorchester?
17 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dorchester work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Abbotsford (22%, 4 mi), Medford (10%, 9 mi), Colby (8%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Dorchester without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dorchester, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dorchester
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.