Jobs and earnings in Sarona, and the trip to work
Only 1% stay in Sarona for work; outside it, Spooner is the main destination (20%, 11 miles). Commuters spend 25 minutes getting to work on average; the Wisconsin average is 22, the U.S. 26. There are 132 jobs in Sarona, against 178 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Sarona on a workday afternoon
On a workday 176 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 130 people come in from elsewhere.
About 380 people are in Sarona on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.74 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.
Commuting out of Sarona: the destinations
Where Sarona 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.
In Sarona, 28% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sarona, 2013 → 2023: 73 → 132. 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 Sarona’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 25 minutes in Sarona
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sarona workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 157 commuters (the 15% 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.
The distance from Sarona to work
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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Work in the towns next to Sarona
The biggest share goes to Beaver Brook (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sarona workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarona | – | — | — | 25 min | $70,972 |
| Beaver Brook | 4% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Barronett | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Bear Lake | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Long Lake | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Beaver Brook, Barronett, Bear Lake and Long Lake: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Sarona’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 Sarona: questions
What is the median household income in Sarona?
$70,972 (±$13,649) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sarona?
6.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sarona?
25 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sarona work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Spooner (20%, 11 mi), Shell Lake (13%, 6 mi), Rice Lake (7%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Sarona 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 Sarona, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sarona
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.