Rome has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs & income B: better than 63% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #249 of 362 in Wisconsin.
Walkability C−: more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns · #293 of 362 in Wisconsin.
Household incomes here are higher than in 56% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 37 minutes each way (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26). About one in seven work in Rome; the top destination outside it is Wisconsin Rapids (14%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Rome, in brief
Rome workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 115 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Rome has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Rome went from 354 in 2013 to 575 in 2023, +62%. The jobs ↓
Home offices are common in Rome
23% of Rome workers work from home, against 13% across Wisconsin. Time on the road ↓
Rome’s workforce skews older
38% of Rome’s working residents are 55 or older. The jobs ↓
A big share show a job far from home
33% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What’s behind Rome’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rome is better than 63% of U.S. towns, #249 of 362 in Wisconsin. The poverty rate holds Rome’s grade up (4.7%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 14% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Rome could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
About 37 minutes each way, longer than most of Wisconsin
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rome workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 841 commuters (the 23% who work from home are left out). Across Wisconsin: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
575 jobs are based in Rome. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Rome’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rome, 2013 → 2023: 354 → 575. 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.
Half of Rome commutes less than 24 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 33% 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.
Rome quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,051 residents head out to work, 163 work right here, and 412 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,800 people are in Rome on a workday afternoon, 19% fewer than live here.
0.47 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
14% of working residents work in Wisconsin Rapids
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Rome clocks in
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Most trips from Rome start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rome is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns, #293 of 362 in Wisconsin. Both inputs place Rome 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 1,088 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). 1.1% of Rome households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Rome’s commuters take a bus or train.
Rome is 1,548th of 4,402 U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,600 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Rome, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 42 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,546 | North East MD | 4,237 | $92K | 7.5% | 5.7% | 3% | B |
| 1,547 | Erie Township MI | 4,348 | $71K | 15.6% | 1.4% | 4% | B |
| 1,548 | Rome WI | 3,420 | $80K | 4.7% | 2.2% | 13% | B |
| 1,549 | Dahlgren VA | 3,350 | $110K | 8.1% | 3.1% | 8% | B |
| 1,550 | Biscayne Park FL | 3,062 | $77K | 29.5% | 2.2% | 3% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 4,402 | 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.
Rome and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Leola (2%). Darker towns draw more of Rome’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rome workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rome | – | B | C− | 37 min | $79,728 |
| Armenia | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Leola | 2% | — | — | 40 min | — |
| Saratoga | under 2% | B− | D | 31 min | $74,499 |
| Big Flats | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Monroe | under 2% | — | — | 47 min | — |
| Colburn | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Port Edwards | under 2% | C | D | 23 min | $81,103 |
Same-state neighbors only. Armenia, Leola and Colburn: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Big Flats: not graded. Monroe: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Rome: questions
What is the median household income in Rome?
$79,728 (±$9,984) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rome?
4.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rome?
37 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rome work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Wisconsin Rapids (14%, 13 mi), Stevens Point (5%, 26 mi), Nekoosa (3%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Rome walkable?
Rome is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rome without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Rome, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rome
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.