Photo: Jandtali · Public domainUnemployment in Howard (2.5%) is lower than in 77% of U.S. towns
The average commute takes 20 minutes each way (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26). About one in ten work in Howard; the top destination outside it is Green Bay (27%, 5 miles). Household incomes here are higher than in 63% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Howard in brief
Howard trades workers with the towns around it
Howard has about as many jobs (8,989) as working residents (9,738), but they are mostly different people: 8,802 residents leave for work each day while 8,053 people come in. Only 10% of the jobs in Howard are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Howard and Green Bay trade workers both ways
Green Bay is the top workplace for Howard residents (27%) and also where the most people who work in Howard come from (20% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most Howard residents work close to home
65% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
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.
How Howard earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Howard is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #142 of 362 in Wisconsin. The poverty rate is its strongest input (5.1%, U.S. 12.5%); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($85,477, U.S. $80,734). 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, Howard could be anywhere from B+ to A.
How a workday changes Howard
On a workday 8,802 residents head out to work, 936 work right here, and 8,053 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 (0.92 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.
Where Howard goes to work
Where Howard clocks in
27% 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.
How far it is to work from Howard
About 15% 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.
Goods jobs make up 28% of work in Howard
8,989 jobs are based in Howard.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Howard, 2013 → 2023: 9,088 → 8,989. 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.
Getting to work from Howard takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 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 9,812 commuters (the 14% 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.
In Howard, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Howard is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns, #278 of 362 in Wisconsin. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.8% across Wisconsin.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 11,436 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). 2.9% of Howard households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Howard’s commuters take a bus or train.
Howard places 403rd of 1,658 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 16,000 to 30,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Verona WI | 16,821 | $120K | 1.4% | 1.6% | 21% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Muskego WI | 25,602 | $112K | 3.0% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Waunakee WI | 16,411 | $125K | 2.8% | 1.4% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 401 | North Ogden UT | 21,689 | $114K | 5.3% | 2.5% | 5% | A |
| 402 | Secaucus NJ | 22,640 | $140K | 5.8% | 5.6% | 12% | A |
| 403 | Howard WI | 22,233 | $85K | 5.1% | 2.5% | 10% | A |
| 404 | Homewood AL | 28,118 | $94K | 8.9% | 2.3% | 15% | A |
| 405 | Bloomingdale IL | 22,476 | $103K | 5.5% | 4.6% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,658 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Howard, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Next door is work for 31% of Howard
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Howard workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard | – | A | C | 20 min | $85,477 |
| Green Bay | 27% | B− | B+ | 19 min | $66,206 |
| Pittsfield | under 2% | A | C | 24 min | $100,139 |
| Hobart | under 2% | A+ | C | 19 min | $103,440 |
| Suamico | 4% | A | C− | 23 min | $118,337 |
| Oneida | under 2% | B+ | C− | 21 min | $76,651 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Green Bay. 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?
$85,477 (±$7,206) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Howard?
5.1%, 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. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Howard work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Green Bay (27%, 5 mi), Ashwaubenon (14%, 6 mi), De Pere (7%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Howard walkable?
Howard is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Howard 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 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. 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.