Most of Hay River commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
Employers in Hay River report 41 jobs; 310 of its residents have a job. Hardly any stay in Hay River for work; outside it, Menomonie is the main destination (20%, 14 miles). 5% of workers have no commute at all, against 13% across Wisconsin.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Hay River apart
Hay River is a place people come home to
There are 41 jobs based in Hay River, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Hay River has about 380 people in it, 41% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Hay River workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 100 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; with 310 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Hay River on a workday
On a workday 308 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 39 people come in from elsewhere.
About 380 people are in Hay River on a workday afternoon, 41% 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.
From Hay River, about 35 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hay River workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 291 commuters (the 5% 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.
Where Hay River’s working residents head each day
Where Hay River clocks in
Lines 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.
44% of the jobs in Hay River make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hay River, 2013 → 2023: 11 → 41. 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 Hay River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Hay River goes to work
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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Around Hay River: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Boyceville (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hay River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hay River | – | — | — | 35 min | $74,250 |
| Wheeler | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Sheridan | under 2% | — | — | 39 min | — |
| Tiffany | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Otter Creek | under 2% | — | — | 42 min | — |
| Sherman | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Boyceville | 3% | C− | C+ | 32 min | $59,464 |
| Wilson | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wheeler, Sheridan, Tiffany and Otter Creek: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Sherman and Wilson: the same communities as the places of those names, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hay River’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 Hay River: questions
What is the median household income in Hay River?
$74,250 (±$15,186) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hay River?
2.5%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hay River?
35 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hay River work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Menomonie (20%, 14 mi), Eau Claire (6%, 29 mi), Colfax (4%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Hay River without a car?
6% 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 Hay River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hay River
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.