Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in Milton (1.1%) is lower than in 94% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Milton is better than 96% of U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns (C+). Measured by household income, Milton is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Only 1% stay in Milton for work; outside it, Janesville is the main destination (22%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Milton, in brief
Milton and Janesville trade workers both ways
Janesville is the top workplace for Milton residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Milton come from (33% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Milton is a place people come home to
There are 294 jobs based in Milton, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Milton has about 2,100 people in it, 33% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Milton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 28 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 215 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Milton than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Milton fell from 402 in 2013 to 294 in 2023, −27%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Milton
The poverty rate is its strongest input (2.1%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 69% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Milton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Commuting out of Milton: the destinations
Where Milton clocks in
22% of workers
12% of workers
10% 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.
Milton quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,299 residents head out to work, 18 work right here, and 276 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,100 people are in Milton on a workday afternoon, 33% fewer than live here.
0.22 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 2023, primary jobs.
How long Milton spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Milton workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,314 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.
Jobs in Milton: what the 294 are
294 jobs are based in Milton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Milton, 2013 → 2023: 402 → 294. 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 Milton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Short hops and long hauls from Milton
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.
Few in Milton walk, bike or ride to work
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,549 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 0.0% of Milton households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Milton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Milton places 153rd of 4,562 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 65 | Center WI | 3,706 | $115K | 1.6% | 0.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 151 | Princeton MA | 3,618 | $159K | 4.2% | 0.4% | 6% | A+ |
| 152 | Salford Township PA | 3,086 | $126K | 6.7% | 0.8% | 4% | A+ |
| 153 | Milton WI | 3,129 | $107K | 2.1% | 1.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 154 | Lexington Hills CA | 2,692 | $249K | 3.3% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 155 | Acres Green CO | 2,639 | $142K | 8.0% | 1.0% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,562 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Milton, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Milton and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Fulton (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Milton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | – | A+ | C+ | 28 min | $106,667 |
| Fulton | 2% | A | C+ | 30 min | $101,336 |
| Lima | under 2% | C+ | D | 26 min | $65,139 |
| Koshkonong | under 2% | A | C− | 19 min | $102,831 |
| Lake Koshkonong | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Harmony | under 2% | A | C+ | 25 min | $122,852 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lake Koshkonong: 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 Milton’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 Milton: questions
What is the median household income in Milton?
$106,667 (±$21,866) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Milton?
2.1%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Milton?
28 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Milton work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Janesville (22%, 9 mi), Madison (12%, 30 mi), Milton (10%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Milton walkable?
Milton is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Milton without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Milton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Milton
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.