Photo: Radon360 · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Random Lake are higher than in 67% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 4.4% of residents (Wisconsin 10.6%). Jobs and income earn Random Lake A−; getting around on foot earns it B+. About one in seven stay in Random Lake for work; outside it, Sheboygan is the main destination (8%, 17 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Random Lake
Why Random Lake gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty and job access, Random Lake is better than 84% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($89,601, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and job access by car.
Unemployment (3.5%) is left out: Random Lake’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Random Lake could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Making and building: 50% of jobs based in Random Lake
849 jobs are based in Random Lake.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Random Lake, 2013 → 2023: 1,065 → 849. 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 Random Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Random Lake
On a workday 558 residents head out to work, 84 work right here, and 765 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in Random Lake on a workday afternoon, 13% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.32 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.
Where people from Random Lake work
Where Random Lake clocks in
8% of workers
5% of workers
4% 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.
Time on the road from Random Lake: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Random Lake workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 695 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.
Random Lake’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.
For most of Random Lake, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Random Lake is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Random Lake 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 789 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). 2.7% of Random Lake households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Random Lake’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Random Lake is 498th among 5,794 U.S. towns of 1,100 to 2,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Nashotah WI | 1,298 | $148K | 1.1% | 0.6% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Maple Bluff WI | 1,305 | $199K | 3.0% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Wind Point WI | 1,620 | $143K | 0.4% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 496 | Moulton Township OH | 1,636 | $108K | 1.2% | 2.9% | 2% | A− |
| 497 | Albany Township PA | 1,723 | $89K | 3.8% | 1.8% | 2% | A− |
| 498 | Random Lake WI | 1,572 | $90K | 4.4% | 3.5% | 13% | A− |
| 499 | Augusta Township KS | 1,224 | $84K | 1.8% | 1.3% | 1% | A− |
| 500 | Spencer Brook Township MN | 1,734 | $104K | 5.6% | 1.5% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,794 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Random Lake, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Random Lake and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Sherman (3%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Random Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Random Lake | – | A− | B+ | 23 min | $89,601 |
| Sherman | 3% | A | C | 22 min | $107,202 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Random 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 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 Random Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Random Lake?
$89,601 (±$6,555) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Random Lake?
4.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Random Lake?
23 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Random Lake work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sheboygan (8%, 17 mi), Port Washington (5%, 12 mi), Plymouth (4%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Random Lake walkable?
Random Lake is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Random Lake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Random Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Random Lake
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.