Merrimac Ferry · Photo: User:Freekee · Public domainWith 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Merrimac works elsewhere
Merrimac has 42 jobs; 264 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Merrimac itself; outside it, Madison draws the most (20%, 22 miles). 7% of workers have no commute at all, where Wisconsin as a whole has 13%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Merrimac apart
Merrimac is a place people come home to
There are 42 jobs based in Merrimac, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Merrimac has about 300 people in it, 42% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Merrimac’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Merrimac is Madison, 22 miles away as the crow flies. 20% of working residents (54) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Merrimac workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 69 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 264 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How many people are in Merrimac by day
On a workday 264 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 42 people come in from elsewhere.
About 300 people are in Merrimac on a workday afternoon, 42% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Merrimac
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.
How long Merrimac spends getting to work: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Merrimac workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 267 commuters (the 7% 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 places Merrimac commutes to
Where Merrimac clocks in
20% of workers
10% of workers
8% 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.
What Merrimac’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Merrimac, 2013 → 2023: 47 → 42. 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 Merrimac’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Merrimac
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Merrimac workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimac | – | — | — | 31 min | $92,417 |
| Lake Wisconsin | under 3% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| West Point | under 3% | A+ | B− | 29 min | $139,632 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Wisconsin: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Merrimac’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 Merrimac: questions
What is the median household income in Merrimac?
$92,417 (±$22,739) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Merrimac?
6.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Merrimac?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Merrimac work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Madison (20%, 22 mi), Sauk City (10%, 9 mi), Prairie du Sac (8%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Merrimac without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Merrimac, from the people who make the trip.
More of Merrimac
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.