Photo: James Steakley · CC BY-SA 3.0Madison draws more than half of Middleton’s working residents
Household incomes here are higher than in 67% of U.S. towns. Jobs and income earn Middleton A−; getting around on foot earns it A. For 20% of workers, the job is at home, against 13% across Wisconsin.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Middleton apart
More than half of Middleton works in Madison
5,714 working residents, 51%, have their main job in Madison, 4.1 miles away across the town line. That’s 3 times as many as work in Middleton itself. The commute map ↓
Most Middleton residents work close to home
75% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. How far ↓
Middleton is where the jobs are
Middleton has 19,658 jobs, 1.8 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Most jobs in Middleton pay over $40,000 a year
72% of the jobs based in Middleton pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. 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.
The four measures behind Middleton’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Middleton is better than 79% of U.S. towns, #172 of 362 in Wisconsin. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 78% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (7.6%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Middleton could be anywhere from B to A.
The towns that send workers to Middleton
Where Middleton clocks in
51% of workers
3% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Middleton
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 daily commute in and out of Middleton
On a workday 9,540 residents head out to work, 1,624 work right here, and 18,034 people come in from elsewhere.
About 32,000 people are in Middleton 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.
72% of the jobs in Middleton pay over $3,333 a month
19,658 jobs are based in Middleton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Middleton, 2013 → 2023: 15,643 → 19,658. 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 Middleton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 19 minutes to work from Middleton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Middleton workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,687 commuters (the 20% 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.
Middleton is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,150 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 82% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 38% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 10.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.4% of Middleton households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Middleton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 16,000 to 31,000, Middleton ranks 609th of 1,712 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Verona WI | 16,821 | $120K | 1.4% | 1.6% | 21% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Muskego WI | 25,602 | $112K | 3.0% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Waunakee WI | 16,411 | $125K | 2.8% | 1.4% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 607 | Golden Valley MN | 21,325 | $109K | 9.1% | 4.6% | 8% | A− |
| 608 | Hercules CA | 26,326 | $129K | 5.6% | 6.4% | 5% | A− |
| 609 | Middleton WI | 23,115 | $90K | 7.6% | 3.0% | 15% | A− |
| 610 | Lyndhurst Township NJ | 22,343 | $112K | 7.1% | 5.9% | 7% | A− |
| 611 | Springettsbury Township PA | 27,617 | $86K | 8.9% | 2.5% | 15% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,712 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Middleton, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Middleton and its neighbors: 51% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Middleton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleton | – | A− | A | 19 min | $89,524 |
| Madison | 51% | A− | A+ | 19 min | $78,050 |
| Westport | under 1% | A | C | 22 min | $83,750 |
| Springfield | under 1% | A+ | C | 19 min | $135,216 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Madison. Darker towns draw more of Middleton’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 Middleton: questions
What is the median household income in Middleton?
$89,524 (±$7,629) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Middleton?
7.6%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Middleton?
19 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Middleton work?
15% work in town.
Is Middleton walkable?
Middleton is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Middleton without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 38% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Middleton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Middleton
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.