Household incomes in Polk are higher than in 76% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Polk is better than 93% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns (C−). The poverty rate is 1.8%, next to 10.6% for Wisconsin as a whole. Only 3% work in Polk; the top destination outside it is Milwaukee (12%, 23 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Polk
Polk trades workers with the towns around it
Polk has about as many jobs (1,899) as working residents (2,081), but they are mostly different people: 2,021 residents leave for work each day while 1,839 people come in. Only 3% of the jobs in Polk are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Polk workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Polk’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Polk is Milwaukee, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (250) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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 Polk
The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.9%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Polk could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Who works in Polk, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 2,021 residents head out to work, 60 work right here, and 1,839 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 (0.91 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Getting to work from Polk takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Polk workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,495 commuters (the 12% 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 distance from Polk to work
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 towns that employ Polk’s residents
Where Polk clocks in
12% of workers
8% 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.
67% of the jobs in Polk pay over $3,333 a month
1,899 jobs are based in Polk.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Polk, 2013 → 2023: 1,585 → 1,899. 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 Polk’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Polk is a driving town
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.1% of 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 1,694 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.5% of Polk households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Polk’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,500, Polk ranks 296th of 4,283 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 63 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 294 | Midland NC | 5,151 | $101K | 4.1% | 1.8% | 3% | A |
| 295 | Fleetwood PA | 4,094 | $93K | 5.0% | 1.0% | 5% | A |
| 296 | Polk WI | 4,041 | $99K | 1.8% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| 297 | Graymoor-Devondale KY | 2,832 | $97K | 5.6% | 2.1% | 1% | A |
| 298 | Hunters Creek Village TX | 4,498 | $250K | 2.8% | 5.5% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,283 | 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 Polk, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Around Polk: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Slinger (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Polk workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk | – | A | C− | 31 min | $98,676 |
| Slinger | 5% | A− | C+ | 32 min | $101,404 |
| Jackson | under 3% | A | C− | 28 min | $93,170 |
| Richfield | under 3% | A+ | C | 28 min | $143,963 |
| West Bend | under 3% | A+ | D | 26 min | $120,119 |
| Hartford | under 3% | A | C+ | 24 min | $110,273 |
| Jackson | under 3% | A+ | C− | 24 min | $116,838 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Polk’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 Polk: questions
What is the median household income in Polk?
$98,676 (±$17,365) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Polk?
1.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Polk?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Polk work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Milwaukee (12%, 23 mi), West Bend (8%, 5 mi), Menomonee Falls (6%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Polk walkable?
Polk is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.9 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Polk without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Polk, from the people who make the trip.
More of Polk
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.