Sterling has 0.0 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
16 jobs are based in Sterling for 370 working residents. Hardly any work in Sterling itself; outside it, Luck draws the most (10%, 15 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 39 minutes; Wisconsin averages 22, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Sterling
Sterling is a place people come home to
There are 16 jobs based in Sterling, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Sterling has about 380 people in it, 48% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Sterling workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 39 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 299 hours of commuting, 130 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 370 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who works in Sterling, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 369 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 15 people come in from elsewhere.
About 380 people are in Sterling on a workday afternoon, 48% 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.
Sterling’s commute takes about 39 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12.6 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 313 commuters (the 12% 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.
Out of Sterling to work: where people go
Where Sterling clocks in
5% 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.
Goods jobs make up 50% of work in Sterling
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sterling, 2013 → 2023: 14 → 16. 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 Sterling’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Sterling’s commute, mile by mile
About 28% 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.
Sterling and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sterling workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling | – | — | — | 39 min | $61,875 |
| Anderson | under 3% | — | — | 43 min | — |
| Laketown | under 3% | C+ | C+ | 30 min | $83,030 |
| Eureka | under 3% | B− | D | 32 min | $87,642 |
Same-state neighbors only. Anderson: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. 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 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 Sterling: questions
What is the median household income in Sterling?
$61,875 (±$25,004) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sterling?
13.9%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sterling?
39 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sterling work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Luck (10%, 15 mi), St. Croix Falls (5%, 15 mi), Frederic (5%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Sterling 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 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), 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.