Household incomes in North Prairie top those of 95% of U.S. towns
The two grades for North Prairie are A+ for jobs and income and D for walkability. 2.8% of residents live below the poverty line (Wisconsin 10.6%). Only 3% stay in North Prairie for work; outside it, Waukesha is the main destination (11%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: North Prairie in brief
North Prairie makes and builds things
50% of the jobs based in North Prairie are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs North Prairie residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 24%. The jobs ↓
The quickest commute around
North Prairie’s 23-minute average trip is shorter than in any town next door, where it runs from 26 to 29 minutes. Next door ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Where North Prairie’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Prairie is among the top U.S. towns. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides North Prairie’s grade. It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Prairie stays A+.
In North Prairie, 50% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
707 jobs are based in North Prairie.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Prairie, 2014 → 2024: 627 → 707. 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 North Prairie’s own residents hold wherever they work.
North Prairie by day and by night
On a workday 974 residents head out to work, 32 work right here, and 675 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in North Prairie on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.70 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 North Prairie commutes to
Where North Prairie clocks in
11% of workers
9% 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.
About 23 minutes to work from North Prairie
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Prairie workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,085 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from North Prairie
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.
The commute in North Prairie is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Prairie is more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.8% across Wisconsin.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,273 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). 0.6% of North Prairie households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of North Prairie’s commuters take a bus or train.
38th of 5,641: where North Prairie ranks among U.S. towns of 1,500 to 3,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | Bartonville TX | 1,937 | $149K | 4.3% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| 37 | Wind Point WI | 1,620 | $143K | 0.4% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| 38 | North Prairie WI | 2,193 | $153K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| 39 | May Township MN | 2,638 | $137K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 40 | Millcreek Township OH | 1,562 | $151K | 2.3% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Vandenbroek WI | 1,701 | $129K | 1.6% | 5.0% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 59 | River Hills WI | 1,555 | $204K | 5.1% | 1.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 87 | Sun Prairie WI | 2,291 | $127K | 2.0% | 1.8% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,641 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 61% | 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 North Prairie, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
How North Prairie compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Genesee (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Prairie workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Prairie | – | A+ | D | 23 min | $152,798 |
| Genesee | 4% | A+ | C | 26 min | $118,578 |
| Mukwonago | under 3% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Ottawa | under 3% | A+ | D | 27 min | $153,018 |
Same-state neighbors only. Mukwonago: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Prairie’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 North Prairie: questions
What is the median household income in North Prairie?
$152,798 (±$19,543) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Prairie?
2.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Prairie?
23 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Prairie work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waukesha (11%, 9 mi), Milwaukee (9%, 24 mi), Mukwonago (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is North Prairie walkable?
North Prairie is more walkable than 14% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 6.0 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Prairie without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Prairie, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Prairie
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. 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.