Iola has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Hardly any stay in Iola for work; outside it, Waupaca is the main destination (14%, 15 miles). There are 17 jobs in Iola, and 441 of its residents work somewhere. Working residents average 33 minutes each way; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Iola
Iola is a place people come home to
There are 17 jobs based in Iola, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Iola has about 500 people in it, 46% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Iola workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 84 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 441 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Iola quiets down on a workday
On a workday 441 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 17 people come in from elsewhere.
About 500 people are in Iola on a workday afternoon, 46% 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.
A commute of about 33 minutes in Iola
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Iola workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 413 commuters (the 8% 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.
Out of Iola to work: where people go
Where Iola clocks in
14% 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.
Iola works in goods: 47% of its jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Iola, 2013 → 2023: 27 → 17. 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 Iola’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Iola’s workers travel
About 25% 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 Iola: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Iola workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iola | – | — | — | 33 min | $84,375 |
| Helvetia | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| New Hope | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Harrison | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Scandinavia | under 2% | B− | C− | 25 min | $89,583 |
Same-state neighbors only. Helvetia and New Hope: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Harrison: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Iola’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 Iola: questions
What is the median household income in Iola?
$84,375 (±$9,855) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Iola?
6.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Iola?
33 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Iola work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waupaca (14%, 15 mi), Iola (13%, 4 mi), Stevens Point (10%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Iola without a car?
0% 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 Iola, from the people who make the trip.
More of Iola
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.