Hefty-Blum Farmstead · Photo: Tgkrause · CC BY-SA 3.0Washington has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.4 for each
183 jobs are based in Washington; 464 of its residents have a job. Only 2% stay in Washington for work; outside it, Madison is the main destination (21%, 28 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 27 minutes, next to 22 for Wisconsin and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Washington: the gist
Washington’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Washington is Madison, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 21% of working residents (98) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Washington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 27 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 207 hours of commuting, 38 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 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 464 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Near or far: the trip to work from Washington
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.
Time on the road from Washington: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Washington workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 409 commuters (the 9% 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.
Washington on a workday afternoon
On a workday 454 residents head out to work, 10 work right here, and 173 people come in from elsewhere.
About 570 people are in Washington 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.
Where Washington goes to work
Where Washington clocks in
21% of workers
9% 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.
64% of the jobs in Washington make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Washington, 2014 → 2024: 69 → 183. 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 Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Washington and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | – | — | — | 27 min | $95,625 |
| Mount Pleasant | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Adams | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Monroe | under 2% | A− | B− | 21 min | $106,563 |
| Monticello | 2% | B | B+ | 29 min | $75,833 |
| New Glarus | under 2% | A | C | 38 min | $137,500 |
Same-state neighbors only. Mount Pleasant and Adams: the same communities as the places of those names, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Monticello. Darker towns draw more of Washington’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 Washington: questions
What is the median household income in Washington?
$95,625 (±$12,355) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Washington?
12.1%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Washington?
27 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Washington work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Madison (21%, 28 mi), New Glarus (12%, 6 mi), Monroe (9%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Washington without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Washington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Washington
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.