Florence Town Hall · Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC0Households in Florence have lower incomes than those in 76% of U.S. towns
About one in four work in Florence; the top destination outside it is Iron Mountain (20%, 16 miles). Below the poverty line: 7.4% of residents, next to 10.6% for Wisconsin as a whole. The two grades for Florence are C− for jobs and income and C− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Florence
Many Florence workers cross into Michigan
46% of Florence workers work outside Wisconsin, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Iron Mountain (20%), Kingsford (7%) and Breitung Township (4%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Many jobs in Florence pay little
32% of the jobs based in Florence pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
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 955 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Florence’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty and job access, Florence is better than 22% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Florence’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (near the bottom of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (4.1%) is left out: Florence’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Florence could be anywhere from D to C.
Out of Florence to work: where people go
Where Florence clocks in
20% 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.
What Florence’s employers do
782 jobs are based in Florence.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Florence, 2013 → 2023: 634 → 782. 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 Florence’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 701 residents head out to work, 254 work right here, and 528 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 (0.82 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.
Commuting from Florence: about 18 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Florence workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 634 commuters (the 11% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Florence
About 29% 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.
The commute in Florence is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Florence is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Florence near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 715 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.7% of Florence households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Florence’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,500 to 3,000, Florence ranks 4,099th of 5,641 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Wind Point WI | 1,620 | $143K | 0.4% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 38 | North Prairie WI | 2,193 | $153K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Vandenbroek WI | 1,701 | $129K | 1.6% | 5.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,097 | Pentland Township MI | 2,693 | $69K | 10.5% | 13.7% | 15% | C− |
| 4,098 | Spalding Township MI | 1,563 | $63K | 9.4% | 5.3% | 8% | C− |
| 4,099 | Florence WI | 2,193 | $59K | 7.4% | 4.1% | 27% | C− |
| 4,100 | Zephyrhills North FL | 2,831 | $52K | 20.8% | 12.8% | <1% | C− |
| 4,101 | Mauriceville TX | 2,945 | $64K | 13.5% | 10.5% | 2% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,641 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Florence, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Florence and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Breitung Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Florence workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | – | C− | C− | 18 min | $58,832 |
| Aurora | under 2% | C+ | D | 20 min | $78,935 |
| Commonwealth | 1% | — | — | 14 min | — |
| Fern | under 2% | — | — | 46 min | — |
| Tipler | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Long Lake | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Fence | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Commonwealth, Fern, Tipler, Long Lake and Fence: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Florence’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 Florence: questions
What is the median household income in Florence?
$58,832 (±$4,967) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Florence?
7.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Florence?
18 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Florence work?
27% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Iron Mountain (20%, 16 mi), Kingsford (7%, 15 mi), Breitung Township (4%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Florence walkable?
Florence is more walkable than 22% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Florence without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Florence, from the people who make the trip.
More of Florence
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.