Jobs, pay and the trip to work in Melrose
Employers in Melrose report 191 jobs, against 205 working residents. Only 3% work in Melrose; the top destination outside it is Black River Falls (15%, 15 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 30 minutes (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Melrose: the gist
A big share show a job far from home
32% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Melrose workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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 205 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The distance from Melrose to work
About 32% 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.
Getting to work from Melrose takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Melrose workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 216 commuters (the 13% 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 daily commute in and out of Melrose
On a workday 199 residents head out to work, 6 work right here, and 185 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.93 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 Melrose’s working residents head each day
Where Melrose clocks in
11% 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Melrose, 2013 → 2023: 95 → 191. 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 Melrose’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How Melrose compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Melrose workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose | – | — | — | 30 min | $74,809 |
| Little Falls | under 2% | B− | C+ | 25 min | $89,038 |
| Irving | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| North Bend | under 2% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| Franklin | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Irving and North Bend: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Franklin: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Melrose’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 Melrose: questions
What is the median household income in Melrose?
$74,809 (±$15,013) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Melrose?
10.1%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Melrose?
30 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Melrose work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Black River Falls (15%, 15 mi), La Crosse (11%, 23 mi), Melrose (4%, 1 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Melrose without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Melrose, from the people who make the trip.
More of Melrose
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.