Earning a living in Lakeland
The average commute takes 20 minutes each way, next to 22 for Wisconsin and 26 for the U.S. Only 1% work in Lakeland itself; outside it, Rice Lake draws the most (20%, 13 miles). Lakeland has 250 jobs for 406 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Lakeland, in brief
Where in the region Lakeland works
About 35% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Who leaves Lakeland for work, and who comes in
On a workday 400 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 244 people come in from elsewhere.
About 790 people are in Lakeland on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.62 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 2024, primary jobs.
The places Lakeland commutes to
Where Lakeland clocks in
12% 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.
Making and building: 66% of jobs based in Lakeland
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lakeland, 2014 → 2024: 140 → 250. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Lakeland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Lakeland: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lakeland workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 390 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.
Work next door: 12% of Lakeland’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lakeland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeland | – | — | — | 20 min | $63,750 |
| Cumberland | 12% | D− | A− | 21 min | $49,479 |
| Barronett | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Bear Lake | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Maple Plain | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Cumberland | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Barronett, Bear Lake and Maple Plain: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Cumberland: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Cumberland. Darker towns draw more of Lakeland’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 2024, 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 Lakeland: questions
What is the median household income in Lakeland?
$63,750 (±$14,477) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lakeland?
6.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lakeland?
20 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lakeland work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Rice Lake (20%, 13 mi), Cumberland (12%, 4 mi), Eau Claire (5%, 58 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Lakeland 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 Lakeland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lakeland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.