Jobs, income and commuting in Plum Lake, WI
Only 4% stay in Plum Lake for work; outside it, Arbor Vitae is the main destination (9%, 10 miles). Working residents average 30 minutes each way, where Wisconsin has 22 and the U.S. 26. There are 169 jobs in Plum Lake, and 210 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Plum Lake apart
A big share show a job far from home
40% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Plum Lake workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (18 to 24 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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; with 210 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How far Plum Lake’s workers travel
About 40% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Plum Lake’s commute takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Plum Lake workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 173 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 daily flow of workers through Plum Lake
On a workday 202 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 161 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.80 per resident).
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 Plum Lake commutes to
Where Plum Lake clocks in
Lines 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.
Jobs in Plum Lake: what the 169 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Plum Lake, 2014 → 2024: 121 → 169. 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 Plum Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Next door to Plum Lake
The biggest share goes to Boulder Junction (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Plum Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plum Lake | – | — | — | 30 min | $67,679 |
| Land O'Lakes | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Boulder Junction | 7% | C | B+ | 19 min | $74,919 |
| Conover | under 3% | C− | B− | 24 min | $61,786 |
| Cloverland | under 3% | C+ | B+ | 19 min | $62,917 |
| St. Germain | under 3% | C− | C | 18 min | $62,875 |
Same-state neighbors only. Land O'Lakes: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Plum Lake’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 Plum Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Plum Lake?
$67,679 (±$33,648) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Plum Lake?
5.5%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Plum Lake?
30 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Plum Lake work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Arbor Vitae (9%, 10 mi), Boulder Junction (7%, 9 mi), Lac du Flambeau (6%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Plum Lake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Plum Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Plum Lake
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.