Household incomes in Ottawa are higher than in 95% of U.S. towns
Only 1% work in Ottawa itself; outside it, Milwaukee draws the most (11%, 27 miles). Below the poverty line: 1.0% of residents, next to 10.6% for Wisconsin as a whole. For jobs and income Ottawa is among the top U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns (D).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Ottawa, in brief
Ottawa is a place people come home to
There are 356 jobs based in Ottawa, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Ottawa has about 2,400 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Ottawa’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Ottawa is Milwaukee, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 11% of working residents (173) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Ottawa workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 27 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 207 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Young people hold many of the jobs here
33% of the jobs based in Ottawa are held by workers 29 or younger, against 19% of Ottawa’s own working residents. 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.
How Ottawa earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ottawa is among the top U.S. towns, #3 of 362 in Wisconsin. The poverty rate is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 78% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Ottawa stays A+.
How a workday changes Ottawa
On a workday 1,568 residents head out to work, 23 work right here, and 333 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Ottawa on a workday afternoon, 34% 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.
Ottawa’s commute, mile by mile
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 Ottawa spends getting to work: about 27 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 Ottawa workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,971 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 356 jobs based in Ottawa
356 jobs are based in Ottawa.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ottawa, 2013 → 2023: 254 → 356. 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 Ottawa’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting out of Ottawa: the destinations
Where Ottawa clocks in
11% of workers
10% of workers
6% 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.
For most of Ottawa, work means a drive
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,261 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). 0.7% of Ottawa households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Ottawa’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Ottawa ranks: 43rd of 4,474 U.S. towns of 2,500 to 4,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Andover CT | 3,173 | $135K | 1.8% | 0.4% | 6% | A+ |
| 42 | Jersey Township OH | 2,678 | $136K | 2.4% | 1.2% | 6% | A+ |
| 43 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 44 | Harmony Grove CA | 2,585 | $227K | 4.6% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| 45 | Bay Hill FL | 4,512 | $128K | 0.7% | 1.5% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Center WI | 3,706 | $115K | 1.6% | 0.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,474 | 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 Ottawa, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Work in the towns next to Ottawa
The biggest share goes to Dousman (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ottawa workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | – | A+ | D | 27 min | $153,018 |
| Dousman | 3% | A | B | 27 min | $96,513 |
| North Prairie | under 3% | A+ | D | 23 min | $152,798 |
| Sullivan | under 3% | B | D | 36 min | $85,833 |
| Genesee | under 3% | A+ | C | 26 min | $118,578 |
| Eagle | under 3% | A | C− | 28 min | $125,792 |
| Summit | under 3% | A+ | C | 26 min | $140,682 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ottawa’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 Ottawa: questions
What is the median household income in Ottawa?
$153,018 (±$21,258) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ottawa?
1.0%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ottawa?
27 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ottawa work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Milwaukee (11%, 27 mi), Waukesha (10%, 13 mi), Oconomowoc (6%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Ottawa walkable?
Ottawa is more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 4.8 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ottawa without a car?
<1% 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 Ottawa, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ottawa
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.