With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Wells works elsewhere
6% of workers have no commute at all, against 13% across Wisconsin. There are 24 jobs in Wells; 268 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Wells; the top destination outside it is Sparta (15%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Wells: the gist
Who commutes out of Wells, and who commutes in
On a workday 267 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 23 people come in from elsewhere.
About 340 people are in Wells on a workday afternoon, 42% 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.
Commuting out of Wells: the destinations
Where Wells clocks in
15% of workers
13% 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.
Jobs in Wells: what the 24 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wells, 2013 → 2023: 1 → 24. 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 Wells’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Wells: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wells workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 189 commuters (the 6% 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.
How far Wells’ workers travel
About 27% 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.
How Wells compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wells workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells | – | — | — | 22 min | $75,417 |
| Ridgeville | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Leon | under 2% | A− | D | 24 min | $88,750 |
| Angelo | under 2% | B− | C | 18 min | $71,250 |
| Jefferson | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Ridgeville: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Jefferson: the same community as the city of that name, graded once. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Wells’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 Wells: questions
What is the median household income in Wells?
$75,417 (±$16,508) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wells?
11.0%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wells?
22 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Wells work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sparta (15%, 7 mi), La Crosse (13%, 25 mi), Cashton (9%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Wells without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wells, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wells
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.