Westport has lower unemployment (0.8%) than 96% of U.S. towns
For 20% of workers, the job is at home (Wisconsin 13%). Jobs and income earn Westport A; getting around on foot earns it C. Only 1% stay in Westport for work; outside it, Madison is the main destination (49%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Westport and work: the main findings
Much of Westport works one town over
63% of working residents work in a town that borders Westport: Madison (49%), Waunakee (7%) and Middleton (7%). Next door ↓
Westport makes and builds things
62% of the jobs based in Westport are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Westport residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 13%. The jobs ↓
Most Westport residents work close to home
71% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
Most jobs in Westport pay over $40,000 a year
79% of the jobs based in Westport pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
A lot of Westport works from home
21% of Westport workers work from home, against 13% across Wisconsin. 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.
Westport’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westport is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #94 of 362 in Wisconsin. Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($83,750, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Westport could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Westport works in goods: 62% of its jobs
1,363 jobs are based in Westport.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westport, 2013 → 2023: 1,092 → 1,363. 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 Westport’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Westport, by distance
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.
About 22 minutes to work from Westport
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westport workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,654 commuters (the 21% 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.
Who commutes out of Westport, and who commutes in
On a workday 2,043 residents head out to work, 30 work right here, and 1,333 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,500 people are in Westport on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.66 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 2023, primary jobs.
Commuting out of Westport: the destinations
Where Westport clocks in
49% of workers
7% 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.
In Westport, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westport is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns, #275 of 362 in Wisconsin. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.3% 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 2,081 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 9% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 9% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 69% 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). 4.4% of Westport households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Westport’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Westport is 351st of 3,962 U.S. towns of 3,000 to 5,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 50 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 60 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 64 | Bristol WI | 4,347 | $141K | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 349 | Ralpho Township PA | 4,181 | $120K | 2.6% | 1.1% | 8% | A |
| 350 | Dover WI | 4,202 | $100K | 3.4% | 2.9% | 4% | A |
| 351 | Westport WI | 4,249 | $84K | 4.2% | 0.8% | 1% | A |
| 352 | Niwot CO | 3,447 | $146K | 2.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A |
| 353 | Logan Township IN | 3,943 | $119K | 6.0% | 1.3% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,962 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Westport, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
The towns next door employ 63% of Westport
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westport workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westport | – | A | C | 22 min | $83,750 |
| Waunakee | 7% | A+ | B | 22 min | $125,220 |
| Madison | 49% | A− | A+ | 19 min | $78,050 |
| Middleton | 7% | A− | A | 19 min | $89,524 |
| Springfield | under 2% | A+ | C | 19 min | $135,216 |
| Vienna | under 2% | A+ | C | 21 min | $139,583 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Madison. Darker towns draw more of Westport’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 Westport: questions
What is the median household income in Westport?
$83,750 (±$24,143) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westport?
4.2%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westport?
22 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westport work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Madison (49%, 6 mi), Waunakee (7%, 1 mi), Middleton (7%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Westport walkable?
Westport is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westport without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 9% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westport, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westport
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. 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.