Sand Lake has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The average commute takes 31 minutes each way (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26). There are 14 jobs in Sand Lake, against 214 working residents. 19% of workers have no commute at all, next to 13% for Wisconsin as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Sand Lake: the gist
Sand Lake is a place people come home to
There are 14 jobs based in Sand Lake, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Sand Lake has about 400 people in it, 33% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Sand Lake 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 ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% 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 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 214 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The workday shuffle in and out of Sand Lake
On a workday 213 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 13 people come in from elsewhere.
About 400 people are in Sand Lake on a workday afternoon, 33% 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 2024, primary jobs.
The daily trip from Sand Lake: 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 Sand Lake workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 206 commuters (the 19% 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.
Sand Lake’s commute, mile by mile
About 30% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
18% of working residents work in La Follette
Where Sand Lake 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.
Goods, not services: 43% of the jobs in Sand Lake
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sand Lake, 2014 → 2024: 7 → 14. 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 Sand Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns next door employ 18% of Sand Lake
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sand Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Lake | – | — | — | 31 min | $63,646 |
| Jackson | under 3% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| Meenon | under 3% | D | D | 18 min | $62,721 |
| La Follette | 18% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Rusk | under 3% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Oakland | under 3% | C− | B+ | 23 min | $62,857 |
Same-state neighbors only. Jackson: the same community as the town of that name, graded once. La Follette and Rusk: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to La Follette. Darker towns draw more of Sand 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 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 Sand Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Sand Lake?
$63,646 (±$15,320) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sand Lake?
8.1%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sand Lake?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sand Lake work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are La Follette (18%, 7 mi), Webster (6%, 7 mi), Spooner (6%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Sand Lake 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 Sand Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sand Lake
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.