With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of Wellington works elsewhere
Hardly any stay in Wellington for work; outside it, Tomah is the main destination (17%, 15 miles). 73 jobs are based in Wellington, and 250 of its residents work somewhere. Commuters spend 35 minutes getting to work on average, 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
Wellington at work: what stands out
Wellington and Tomah trade workers both ways
Tomah is the top workplace for Wellington residents (17%) and also where the most people who work in Wellington come from (15% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Wellington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 100 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Wellington is a place people come home to
There are 73 jobs based in Wellington, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Wellington has about 500 people in it, 26% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 250 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Commuting out of Wellington: the destinations
Where Wellington clocks in
17% 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.
About 35 minutes each way, longer than most of Wisconsin
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wellington workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 235 commuters (the 8% 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 daily flow of workers through Wellington
On a workday 248 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 71 people come in from elsewhere.
About 500 people are in Wellington on a workday afternoon, 26% 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.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Wellington
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wellington, 2013 → 2023: 14 → 73. 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 Wellington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Wellington commutes
About 28% 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.
Bordering towns draw 10% of Wellington’s workers
The biggest share goes to Wilton (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wellington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington | – | — | — | 35 min | $61,000 |
| Wilton | 5% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Glendale | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Sheldon | 5% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Forest | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Wilton | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wilton, Sheldon and Forest: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Glendale: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. Wilton: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Wellington’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 Wellington: questions
What is the median household income in Wellington?
$61,000 (±$20,391) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wellington?
7.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wellington?
35 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wellington work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tomah (17%, 15 mi), Sparta (6%, 20 mi), La Crosse (5%, 37 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Wellington without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wellington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wellington
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.