River Falls has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each
Measured by household income, River Falls is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns. 121 jobs are based in River Falls; 801 of its residents have a job. River Falls grades A for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where River Falls stands out on work
River Falls is a place people come home to
There are 121 jobs based in River Falls, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday River Falls has about 1,600 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
River Falls and River Falls trade workers both ways
River Falls is the top workplace for River Falls residents (16%) and also where the most people who work in River Falls come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
River Falls 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 ↓
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; with 801 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Why River Falls gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Falls is better than 86% of U.S. towns. Household income is its strongest input ($118,500, U.S. $80,734); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 52% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, River Falls could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
In and out of River Falls on a workday
On a workday 789 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 109 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,600 people are in River Falls on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
16% of working residents work in River Falls
Where River Falls clocks in
7% 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.
The daily trip from River Falls: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Falls workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,183 commuters (the 17% 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.
River Falls makes things: 40% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Falls, 2013 → 2023: 94 → 121. 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 River Falls’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Near or far: the trip to work from River Falls
About 24% 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.
Most of River Falls commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Falls is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 3.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 4.8% across Wisconsin, on an EPA index of 4.6.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,432 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). 1.8% of River Falls households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of River Falls’ commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, River Falls is 519th of 5,328 U.S. towns of 1,600 to 3,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Wind Point WI | 1,620 | $143K | 0.4% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 35 | North Prairie WI | 2,193 | $153K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Vandenbroek WI | 1,701 | $129K | 1.6% | 5.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 517 | Dover Township OH | 2,819 | $95K | 3.2% | 3.5% | <1% | A |
| 518 | Ashford WI | 1,746 | $91K | 2.5% | 1.0% | 6% | A |
| 519 | River Falls WI | 2,278 | $119K | 4.0% | 2.9% | 1% | A |
| 520 | Jackson Township IN | 1,999 | $102K | 3.5% | 5.2% | 3% | A |
| 521 | St. Albans Township OH | 2,623 | $91K | 8.6% | 1.3% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,328 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 River Falls, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
The towns around River Falls
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Falls workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Falls | – | A | C+ | 31 min | $118,500 |
| Martell | under 3% | B+ | C | 37 min | $94,519 |
| Trimbelle | under 3% | B+ | C− | 28 min | $107,375 |
| Clifton | under 3% | A | D | 29 min | $123,221 |
| Kinnickinnic | under 3% | A | C− | 26 min | $116,650 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Falls’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 River Falls: questions
What is the median household income in River Falls?
$118,500 (±$19,828) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Falls?
4.0%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Falls?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Falls work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are River Falls (16%, 4 mi), Hudson (7%, 13 mi), Ellsworth (5%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is River Falls walkable?
River Falls is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 4.6 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Falls 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 River Falls, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Falls
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.