Photo: self · CC BY-SA 2.5Waterloo has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
97 jobs are based in Waterloo; 407 of its residents have a job. Hardly any stay in Waterloo for work; outside it, Waterloo is the main destination (13%, 4 miles). Working residents average 24 minutes each way, where Wisconsin has 22 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Waterloo apart
Waterloo is a place people come home to
There are 97 jobs based in Waterloo, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Waterloo has about 570 people in it, 35% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The quickest commute around
Waterloo’s 24-minute average trip is shorter than in any town next door, where it runs from 27 to 29 minutes. Next door ↓
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 407 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Waterloo on a workday
On a workday 406 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 96 people come in from elsewhere.
About 570 people are in Waterloo on a workday afternoon, 35% 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.
Where the trip to work from Waterloo ends
Where Waterloo clocks in
13% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 65% of the jobs in Waterloo
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Waterloo, 2013 → 2023: 67 → 97. 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 Waterloo’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Waterloo: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Waterloo workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 384 commuters (the 15% 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 distance from Waterloo to work
About 16% 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.
Around Waterloo: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Waterloo workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | – | — | — | 24 min | $125,000 |
| Portland | under 2% | B− | D | 28 min | $81,429 |
| Milford | under 2% | A− | C+ | 27 min | $88,355 |
| Lake Mills | under 2% | A+ | C+ | 29 min | $119,485 |
| Medina | under 2% | A | B+ | 28 min | $99,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Waterloo’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 Waterloo: questions
What is the median household income in Waterloo?
$125,000 (±$18,326) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Waterloo?
17.3%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Waterloo?
24 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Waterloo work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Waterloo (13%, 4 mi), Watertown (8%, 10 mi), Madison (7%, 26 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Waterloo without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Waterloo, from the people who make the trip.
More of Waterloo
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.