Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Unemployment in Waterford (2.1%) is lower than in 83% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in Waterford itself; outside it, Milwaukee draws the most (12%, 24 miles). For jobs and income Waterford is better than 90% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns (C+). The average commute takes 26 minutes each way, where Wisconsin has 22 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Waterford apart
Waterford’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
The poverty rate is its strongest input (3.8%, U.S. 12.5%); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($82,404, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Waterford could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
How far Waterford goes to work
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.
How a workday changes Waterford
On a workday 2,627 residents head out to work, 207 work right here, and 1,779 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,200 people are in Waterford on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.70 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 Waterford’s working residents head each day
Where Waterford clocks in
12% of workers
6% of workers
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.
The kinds of work in Waterford
1,986 jobs are based in Waterford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Waterford, 2014 → 2024: 1,929 → 1,986. 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 Waterford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 26 minutes in Waterford
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Waterford workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,792 commuters (the 13% 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.
The commute in Waterford is mostly behind the wheel
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 4.8% across Wisconsin.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,194 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.3% of Waterford households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Waterford’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,100, Waterford ranks 408th of 3,394 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Fox Point WI | 6,583 | $141K | 2.5% | 0.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Elm Grove WI | 6,354 | $158K | 4.4% | 0.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 406 | Aquia Harbour VA | 7,481 | $153K | 4.8% | 3.2% | 1% | A |
| 407 | Ridley Park PA | 7,255 | $94K | 5.4% | 3.1% | 3% | A |
| 408 | Waterford WI | 6,025 | $82K | 3.8% | 2.1% | 7% | A |
| 409 | Colona Township IL | 6,595 | $84K | 3.5% | 0.5% | 5% | A |
| 410 | Lafayette Township OH | 6,222 | $103K | 7.5% | 1.1% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,394 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 3% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Waterford, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
How Waterford compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Waterford workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford | – | A | C+ | 26 min | $82,404 |
| Tichigan | under 3% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Rochester | under 3% | A+ | C− | 25 min | $107,038 |
Same-state neighbors only. Tichigan: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Waterford’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 Waterford: questions
What is the median household income in Waterford?
$82,404 (±$13,499) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Waterford?
3.8%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Waterford?
26 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Waterford work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Milwaukee (12%, 24 mi), Burlington (6%, 7 mi), Waukesha (5%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Waterford walkable?
Waterford is more walkable than 40% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Waterford without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Waterford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Waterford
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.