Flambeau Mission Church · Photo: Jeff the quiet · CC0With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Washington works elsewhere
Employers in Washington report 15 jobs; 157 of its residents have a job. Only 2% work in Washington; the top destination outside it is Ladysmith (15%, 11 miles). The trip to work takes 36 minutes on average (Wisconsin 22, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who leaves Washington for work, and who comes in
On a workday 154 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 12 people come in from elsewhere.
About 230 people are in Washington on a workday afternoon, 38% 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.
Commuting out of Washington: the destinations
Where Washington 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 Washington, services account for most jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Washington, 2014 → 2024: 5 → 15. 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.
From Washington, about 36 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 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 125 commuters (the 18% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Washington
About 32% 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.
Around Washington: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | – | — | — | 36 min | $54,730 |
| Big Bend | under 2% | — | — | 49 min | — |
| Willard | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Thornapple | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Birch Creek | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Big Bend: the same community as the village of that name, graded once. Willard, Thornapple and Birch Creek: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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?
$54,730 (±$6,814) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Washington?
3.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Washington?
36 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Washington work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ladysmith (15%, 11 mi), Eau Claire (8%, 38 mi), Bruce (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Washington without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% 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.