There are 1.8 jobs in Lafayette for every working resident, and 333 people commute in
The average commute takes 21 minutes each way (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26). Employers in Lafayette report 337 jobs, against 190 working residents. Only 2% work in Lafayette; the top destination outside it is Sparta (30%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
In and out of Lafayette on a workday
On a workday 186 residents head out to work and 4 work right here.
About 540 people are in Lafayette on a workday afternoon, 37% more than live here.
1.8 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
The daily trip into Lafayette
Where Lafayette clocks in
30% of workers
13% of workers
9% 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.
68% of the jobs in Lafayette pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lafayette, 2013 → 2023: 291 → 337. 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 Lafayette’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 21 minutes in Lafayette
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lafayette workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 192 commuters (the 15% 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 Lafayette goes to work
About 26% 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 Lafayette: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lafayette workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | – | — | — | 21 min | $102,813 |
| Angelo | 2% | B− | C | 18 min | $71,250 |
| Greenfield | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| New Lyme | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Greenfield: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. New Lyme: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Angelo. Darker towns draw more of Lafayette’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 Lafayette: questions
What is the median household income in Lafayette?
$102,813 (±$17,531) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lafayette?
9.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lafayette?
21 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lafayette work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sparta (30%, 8 mi), La Crosse (13%, 28 mi), Tomah (9%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Lafayette without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Lafayette, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lafayette
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.