Port Washington Downtown Historic District · Photo: Freekee · Public domainPort Washington has lower unemployment (1.7%) than 88% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Port Washington A−; getting around on foot earns it B+. About one in seven stay in Port Washington for work; outside it, Milwaukee is the main destination (16%, 23 miles). The trip to work takes 21 minutes on average; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Port Washington and work: the main findings
The figures behind Port Washington’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Port Washington is better than 85% of U.S. towns, #147 of 362 in Wisconsin. Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($81,948, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Port Washington could be anywhere from B to A+.
The commute from Port Washington, by distance
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.
Port Washington quiets down on a workday
On a workday 5,141 residents head out to work, 1,043 work right here, and 3,596 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Port Washington on a workday afternoon, 12% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.75 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 towns that employ Port Washington’s residents
Where Port Washington clocks in
16% of workers
6% of workers
5% 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.
What Port Washington’s employers do
4,639 jobs are based in Port Washington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Port Washington, 2014 → 2024: 4,619 → 4,639. 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 Port Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Port Washington, about 21 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Port Washington workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,545 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.
Most of Port Washington commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Port Washington is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns, #102 of 362 in Wisconsin. Both inputs place Port Washington near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,400 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). 4.9% of Port Washington households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Port Washington’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Port Washington is 571st of 2,354 U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Greenville WI | 13,388 | $118K | 1.7% | 0.8% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Whitefish Bay WI | 14,489 | $157K | 3.7% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 76 | Verona WI | 16,821 | $120K | 1.4% | 1.6% | 22% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 569 | Halls TN | 10,272 | $91K | 8.0% | 1.6% | 3% | A− |
| 570 | Chestnut Ridge NY | 10,987 | $112K | 8.1% | 4.0% | 8% | A− |
| 571 | Port Washington WI | 12,658 | $82K | 6.7% | 1.7% | 17% | A− |
| 572 | Groton MA | 11,541 | $193K | 3.8% | 5.3% | 9% | A− |
| 573 | Woodland Park NJ | 13,623 | $99K | 3.8% | 5.6% | 6% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 Port Washington, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Port Washington and the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Port Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Washington | – | A− | B+ | 21 min | $81,948 |
| Grafton | under 2% | A | C− | 23 min | $87,245 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Port Washington’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 Port Washington: questions
What is the median household income in Port Washington?
$81,948 (±$9,949) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Port Washington?
6.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Port Washington?
21 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Port Washington work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Milwaukee (16%, 23 mi), Grafton (6%, 5 mi), Mequon (5%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Port Washington walkable?
Port Washington is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.5 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Port Washington without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Port Washington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Port Washington
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.