Photo: self · CC BY-SA 2.5Fewer people are out of work in Kiel (2.1%) than in 83% of U.S. towns
The average commute takes 19 minutes each way; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26. Kiel grades B+ for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. About one in five work in Kiel itself; outside it, Sheboygan draws the most (8%, 19 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Kiel apart
Kiel makes and builds things
62% of the jobs based in Kiel are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Kiel residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 42%. The jobs ↓
Kiel has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Kiel went from 1,945 in 2013 to 2,701 in 2023, +39%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Jobs & income in Kiel: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Kiel is better than 67% of U.S. towns, #238 of 362 in Wisconsin. Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($75,953, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Kiel could be anywhere from C+ to A.
Kiel works in goods: 62% of its jobs
2,701 jobs are based in Kiel.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Kiel, 2013 → 2023: 1,945 → 2,701. 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 Kiel’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Kiel on a workday afternoon
On a workday 1,623 residents head out to work, 353 work right here, and 2,348 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,700 people are in Kiel on a workday afternoon, 18% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.37 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 Kiel’s working residents head each day
Where Kiel clocks in
8% of workers
7% of workers
4% 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.
About 19 minutes to work from Kiel
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Kiel workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,934 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.
The commute from Kiel, by distance
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.
The commute in Kiel is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Kiel is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns, #94 of 362 in Wisconsin. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 4.8% across Wisconsin, on an EPA index of 7.3.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,096 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). 2.7% of Kiel households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Kiel’s commuters take a bus or train.
1,380th of 4,177: where Kiel ranks among U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,400
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,378 | Helena Valley Northwest MT | 5,183 | $101K | 2.6% | 4.5% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,379 | Westlake LA | 4,763 | $68K | 12.1% | 0.0% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,380 | Kiel WI | 3,973 | $76K | 8.6% | 2.1% | 18% | B+ |
| 1,381 | Harrison Township IN | 3,748 | $75K | 9.5% | 0.3% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,382 | White Township NJ | 4,706 | $76K | 8.6% | 1.5% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,177 | 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 Kiel, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Work in the towns next to Kiel
The biggest share goes to Schleswig (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Kiel workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiel | – | B+ | B+ | 19 min | $75,953 |
| Schleswig | 3% | B+ | C− | 22 min | $91,574 |
| New Holstein | under 3% | B | C | 27 min | $101,328 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Kiel’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 Kiel: questions
What is the median household income in Kiel?
$75,953 (±$11,116) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Kiel?
8.6%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Kiel?
19 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Kiel work?
18% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sheboygan (8%, 19 mi), Plymouth (7%, 12 mi), New Holstein (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Kiel walkable?
Kiel is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.3 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Kiel 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 Kiel, from the people who make the trip.
More of Kiel
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.