At 2.3%, unemployment in Geneva is lower than in 80% of U.S. towns
Only 5% work in Geneva itself; outside it, Lake Geneva draws the most (15%, 4 miles). The two grades for Geneva are A for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Measured by household income, Geneva is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Geneva: the figures worth knowing
A lot of Geneva works one town over
27% of working residents work in a town that borders Geneva: Lake Geneva (15%), Elkhorn (8%) and Williams Bay (2%). Next door ↓
Geneva workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Jobs & income in Geneva: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Geneva is better than 89% of U.S. towns, #112 of 362 in Wisconsin. The poverty rate is its strongest input (3.5%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 66% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Geneva could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
How long Geneva spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Geneva workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,100 commuters (the 13% 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.
Geneva quiets down on a workday
On a workday 2,314 residents head out to work, 127 work right here, and 1,422 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,600 people are in Geneva on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.63 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
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 Geneva ends
Where Geneva clocks in
8% of workers
5% 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.
Geneva is a services town
1,549 jobs are based in Geneva.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Geneva, 2013 → 2023: 1,254 → 1,549. 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 Geneva’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Geneva goes to work
About 16% 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.
Getting around Geneva: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Geneva is more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns, #174 of 362 in Wisconsin. Both inputs place Geneva 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 2,427 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). 2.1% of Geneva households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Geneva’s commuters take a bus or train.
446th of 3,541: where Geneva ranks among U.S. towns of 3,800 to 7,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Fox Point WI | 6,583 | $141K | 2.5% | 0.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Elm Grove WI | 6,354 | $158K | 4.4% | 0.7% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 444 | Berkley MA | 6,950 | $144K | 2.1% | 5.0% | 5% | A |
| 445 | Clay Township PA | 7,081 | $84K | 5.4% | 0.8% | 8% | A |
| 446 | Geneva WI | 5,443 | $96K | 3.5% | 2.3% | 5% | A |
| 447 | Royal Pines NC | 4,325 | $108K | 1.5% | 3.2% | 1% | A |
| 448 | Terrell Hills TX | 5,215 | $186K | 6.9% | 4.3% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,541 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Geneva, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
27% of Geneva works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Geneva workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva | – | A | B− | 28 min | $96,154 |
| Lake Geneva | 15% | B | A− | 23 min | $75,629 |
| Elkhorn | 8% | A− | B− | 21 min | $77,649 |
| Williams Bay | 2% | B+ | B+ | 27 min | $84,113 |
| Linn | under 2% | A | B | 27 min | $99,205 |
| Lafayette | under 2% | A | C+ | 25 min | $111,500 |
| Lyons | 2% | B− | C− | 25 min | $83,919 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Lake Geneva. Darker towns draw more of Geneva’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 Geneva: questions
What is the median household income in Geneva?
$96,154 (±$19,656) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Geneva?
3.5%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Geneva?
28 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Geneva work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lake Geneva (15%, 4 mi), Elkhorn (8%, 4 mi), Madison (5%, 58 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Geneva walkable?
Geneva is more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Geneva without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Geneva, from the people who make the trip.
More of Geneva
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.