Spring Lake has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Only 1% stay in Spring Lake for work; outside it, Elmwood is the main destination (9%, 3 miles). There are 64 jobs in Spring Lake, and 281 of its residents work somewhere. The average commute takes 31 minutes each way, where Wisconsin has 22 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Spring Lake apart
Spring Lake is a place people come home to
There are 64 jobs based in Spring Lake, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Spring Lake has about 400 people in it, 35% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Spring 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 ↓
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 281 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The daily flow of workers through Spring Lake
On a workday 277 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 60 people come in from elsewhere.
About 400 people are in Spring Lake on a workday afternoon, 35% 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.
The daily trip from Spring Lake: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Spring Lake workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 400 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.
Where the trip to work from Spring Lake ends
Where Spring 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.
What Spring Lake’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Spring Lake, 2013 → 2023: 50 → 64. 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 Spring Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Spring Lake
About 23% 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.
The towns next door employ 18% of Spring Lake
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Spring Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Lake | – | — | — | 31 min | $97,905 |
| Spring Valley | 9% | B− | C+ | 27 min | $69,750 |
| Elmwood | 9% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Cady | under 3% | — | — | 35 min | — |
| Weston | under 3% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Gilman | under 3% | B | C | 30 min | $107,969 |
| Rock Elm | under 3% | — | — | 39 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Elmwood, Cady and Rock Elm: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Weston: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Spring Valley. Darker towns draw more of Spring 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 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 Spring Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Spring Lake?
$97,905 (±$27,267) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Spring Lake?
3.6%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Spring Lake?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Spring Lake work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elmwood (9%, 3 mi), Spring Valley (9%, 4 mi), Menomonie (9%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Spring Lake without a car?
1% 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 Spring Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Spring Lake
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.