At 0.3%, unemployment in Jackson is lower than in 98% of U.S. towns
Only 2% work in Jackson itself; outside it, Milwaukee draws the most (14%, 20 miles). The two grades for Jackson are A+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 87% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Jackson: the gist
Jackson makes and builds things
50% of the jobs based in Jackson are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Jackson residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 27%. The jobs ↓
Jackson is a place people come home to
There are 595 jobs based in Jackson, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Jackson has about 2,500 people in it, 37% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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.
Where Jackson’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Jackson is among the top U.S. towns, #5 of 362 in Wisconsin. The poverty rate is its strongest input (0.6%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 77% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Jackson stays A+.
Making and building: 50% of jobs based in Jackson
595 jobs are based in Jackson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jackson, 2013 → 2023: 645 → 595. 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 Jackson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Jackson on a workday afternoon
On a workday 2,017 residents head out to work, 32 work right here, and 563 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,500 people are in Jackson on a workday afternoon, 37% fewer than live here.
0.29 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 people from Jackson work
Where Jackson clocks in
14% of workers
6% of workers
6% 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.
Commuting from Jackson: about 24 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jackson workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,127 commuters (the 10% 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.
The distance from Jackson to work
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 Jackson: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Jackson is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns, #295 of 362 in Wisconsin. Both inputs place Jackson 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 2,360 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). 3.9% of Jackson households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Jackson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,300, Jackson ranks 54th of 4,084 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 44 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | South Russell OH | 3,913 | $172K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 5% | A+ |
| 53 | Weston Lakes TX | 4,570 | $145K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 54 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 55 | Monrovia MD | 3,568 | $207K | 0.0% | 2.2% | <1% | A+ |
| 56 | Gambrills MD | 2,830 | $149K | 3.4% | 1.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 59 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 70 | Center WI | 3,706 | $115K | 1.6% | 0.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,084 | 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 Jackson, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Work in the towns next to Jackson
The biggest share goes to Germantown (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jackson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | – | A+ | C− | 24 min | $116,838 |
| Cedarburg | under 3% | A− | B− | 25 min | $124,121 |
| Polk | under 3% | A | C− | 31 min | $98,676 |
| Trenton | under 3% | A+ | C− | 25 min | $103,519 |
| Germantown | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Germantown | 6% | A | C+ | 23 min | $100,231 |
Same-state neighbors only. Germantown: the same community as the town of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Jackson’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 Jackson: questions
What is the median household income in Jackson?
$116,838 (±$22,314) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jackson?
0.6%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jackson?
24 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jackson work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Milwaukee (14%, 20 mi), West Bend (6%, 7 mi), Menomonee Falls (6%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Jackson walkable?
Jackson is more walkable than 23% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Jackson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Jackson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jackson
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.