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Jobs & commute in Readstown

Readstown has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.5 for each

81 jobs are based in Readstown for 155 working residents. Only 1% work in Readstown itself; outside it, Viroqua draws the most (23%, 10 miles). Working residents average 18 minutes each way, next to 22 for Wisconsin and 26 for the U.S.

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

Readstown on a workday afternoon

On a workday 153 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 79 people come in from elsewhere.

153live here, work elsewhere
2live and work here
79work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night370
Workday300
370live here− 150head out to work+ 79come in to work= 300on a workday

About 300 people are in Readstown on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.52jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.

The commute map

Where people from Readstown work

Grundy CenterRochester: 3 residents work here (2%)Cashton: 3 residents work here (2%)ReadstownWestby: 7 residents work here (5%)Viroqua: 36 residents work here (23%)Richland Center: 4 residents work here (3%)Prairie du Chien: 3 residents work here (2%)Sparta: 3 residents work here (2%)OnalaskaLa Crosse: 15 residents work here (10%)Madison: 3 residents work here (2%)JeffersonKickapooClaytonViroquaLibertyFranklin: 8 residents work here (5%)ViroquaLa CrosseFranklinWestbyRichland CenterRochesterReadstown
1
Viroqua10 mi away
23%36
2
La Crosse34.9 mi away
10%15
3
Franklin7 mi away
5%8
4
Westby15 mi away
5%7
5
Richland Center20.3 mi away
3%4
6
Rochester, MN94.3 mi away
2%3
7
Cashton20.3 mi away
2%3
8
Prairie du Chien33.9 mi away
2%3
9
Sparta33.9 mi away
2%3
10
Madison71.4 mi away
2%3
Everywhere elseother towns and states
45%70
The top trips

Where Readstown 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.

The jobs

What Readstown’s employers do

Jobs based in ReadstownJobs Readstown residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms5%28%
Trade, transport & utilities51%21%
Services: health, schools, offices44%51%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less42%23%
$1,251–$3,333 a month38%25%
Over $3,333 a month20%53%

Who does it

29 or younger30%26%
30 to 5438%49%
55 and older32%25%
+35%

Jobs based in Readstown, 2013 → 2023: 60 → 81. 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 Readstown’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

The daily trip from Readstown: about 18 minutes

A year of commuting
141 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.9 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Readstown18 min
Wisconsin22 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
8%

of Readstown workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.

About 1 in 10
How Readstown gets to work
90%Drive alone
5%Carpool
6%Walk

Share of the 145 commuters (the 8% 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.

How far

Miles to work from Readstown

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miViroqua: 23% · 10 miLa Crosse: 10% · 34.9 miFranklin: 5% · 7 miWestby: 5% · 15 miRichland Center: 3% · 20.3 miRochester: 2% · 94.3 miCashton: 2% · 20.3 miPrairie du Chien: 2% · 33.9 miSparta: 2% · 33.9 miMadison: 2% · 71.4 miViroqua 23%La Crosse 10%Franklin 5%Westby 5%Richland Center 3%Readstown
ReadstownTop destinations (size = commuters)
27%Under 10 mi42 residents
27%10–24 mi42 residents
18%25–50 mi28 residents
27%Over 50 mi42 residents

About 27% 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 2023.

Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Readstown: questions

What is the median household income in Readstown?

$36,875 (±$10,363) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Readstown?

17.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Readstown?

18 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Readstown work?

1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Viroqua (23%, 10 mi), La Crosse (10%, 35 mi), Franklin (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Readstown without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Readstown, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Readstown

Readstown home →

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.