Most of Waterville commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
The trip to work takes 31 minutes on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. Employers in Waterville report 60 jobs, against 362 working residents. Only 2% work in Waterville itself; outside it, Durand draws the most (9%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Waterville in brief
Waterville is a place people come home to
There are 60 jobs based in Waterville, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Waterville has about 560 people in it, 35% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Waterville workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 31 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 238 hours of commuting, 69 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 362 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who works in Waterville, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 354 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 52 people come in from elsewhere.
About 560 people are in Waterville 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.
The daily trip from Waterville: about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Waterville workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 323 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.
The towns that employ Waterville’s residents
Where Waterville clocks in
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.
53% of the jobs in Waterville make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Waterville, 2013 → 2023: 68 → 60. 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 Waterville’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Waterville
About 25% 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.
Waterville and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Waubeek (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Waterville workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterville | – | — | — | 31 min | $75,061 |
| Durand | under 3% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Frankfort | under 3% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Eau Galle | under 3% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Waubeek | 5% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Union | under 3% | — | — | 42 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Durand and Eau Galle: the same communities as the places of those names, graded once. Frankfort, Waubeek and Union: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Waterville’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 Waterville: questions
What is the median household income in Waterville?
$75,061 (±$13,310) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Waterville?
7.9%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Waterville?
31 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Waterville work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Durand (9%, 4 mi), Wabasha (7%, 18 mi), Menomonie (6%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Waterville 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 Waterville, from the people who make the trip.
More of Waterville
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.