Jobs and earnings in Sterling, and the trip to work
Working residents average 31 minutes each way, where Wisconsin has 22 and the U.S. 26. Only 1% stay in Sterling for work; outside it, Viroqua is the main destination (18%, 9 miles). There are 152 jobs in Sterling, and 245 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Sterling stands out on work
Commuting from Sterling: about 31 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sterling workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 206 commuters (the 11% 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.
Sterling on a workday afternoon
On a workday 242 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 149 people come in from elsewhere.
About 460 people are in Sterling on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.62 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 2024, primary jobs.
Where the trip to work from Sterling ends
Where Sterling clocks in
16% 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.
68% of the jobs in Sterling make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sterling, 2014 → 2024: 98 → 152. 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 Sterling’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Sterling’s workers travel
About 27% 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.
Work in the towns next to Sterling
The biggest share goes to Franklin (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sterling workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling | – | — | — | 31 min | $71,776 |
| Franklin | 2% | D | C | 24 min | $75,208 |
| Freeman | under 2% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Wheatland | under 2% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Harmony | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Jefferson | under 2% | B+ | C− | 27 min | $92,214 |
| Genoa | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Freeman and Genoa: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Wheatland and Harmony: the same communities as the places of those names, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Sterling’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 Sterling: questions
What is the median household income in Sterling?
$71,776 (±$4,860) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sterling?
12.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sterling?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sterling work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Viroqua (18%, 9 mi), La Crosse (16%, 25 mi), Kickapoo (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Sterling without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Sterling, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sterling
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.