With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Howard works elsewhere
118 jobs are based in Howard; 339 of its residents have a job. Commuters spend 20 minutes getting to work on average, where Wisconsin has 22 and the U.S. 26. For 19% of workers, the job is at home, against 13% across Wisconsin.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Howard, in a few figures
29% of working residents work in Eau Claire
Where Howard clocks in
15% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Howard
On a workday 335 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 114 people come in from elsewhere.
About 570 people are in Howard on a workday afternoon, 28% 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.
Making and building: 29% of jobs based in Howard
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Howard, 2013 → 2023: 113 → 118. 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 Howard’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Howard: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Howard workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 327 commuters (the 19% 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.
Half of Howard commutes less than 13 miles
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.
Next door to Howard
The biggest share goes to Wheaton (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Howard workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard | – | — | — | 20 min | $73,333 |
| Colfax | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Wheaton | 2% | A− | B− | 19 min | $103,053 |
| Cooks Valley | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Tilden | 2% | A− | C | 19 min | $106,985 |
Same-state neighbors only. Colfax: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Cooks Valley: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Howard’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 Howard: questions
What is the median household income in Howard?
$73,333 (±$27,937) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Howard?
10.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Howard?
20 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Howard work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Eau Claire (29%, 13 mi), Chippewa Falls (15%, 10 mi), Bloomer (7%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Howard without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Howard, from the people who make the trip.
More of Howard
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.