Jefferson has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each
A typical one-way commute lasts 26 minutes, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 88 jobs are based in Jefferson; 369 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Jefferson; the top destination outside it is Sparta (19%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Jefferson
Jefferson and Sparta trade workers both ways
Sparta is the top workplace for Jefferson residents (19%) and also where the most people who work in Jefferson come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Jefferson is a place people come home to
There are 88 jobs based in Jefferson, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Jefferson has about 590 people in it, 32% 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; with 369 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Jefferson goes to work
Where Jefferson clocks in
19% of workers
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.
Jefferson by day and by night
On a workday 367 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 86 people come in from elsewhere.
About 590 people are in Jefferson on a workday afternoon, 32% 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.
82% of the jobs in Jefferson make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jefferson, 2013 → 2023: 113 → 88. 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 Jefferson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 26 minutes each way, longer than most of Wisconsin
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jefferson workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 255 commuters (the 18% 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.
How far Jefferson’s workers travel
About 22% 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.
Jefferson and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Cashton (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jefferson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | – | — | — | 26 min | $84,545 |
| Cashton | 8% | C− | A | 27 min | $70,074 |
| Melvina | under 2% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Portland | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Sheldon | under 2% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Clinton | under 2% | D | C | 25 min | $72,500 |
| Wells | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Ridgeville | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Melvina, Sheldon, Wells and Ridgeville: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Portland: 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 Jefferson’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 Jefferson: questions
What is the median household income in Jefferson?
$84,545 (±$13,263) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson?
10.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jefferson?
26 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jefferson work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sparta (19%, 12 mi), La Crosse (15%, 24 mi), Cashton (8%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Jefferson without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 28% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Jefferson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jefferson
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.