Photo: Gepard12 · Public domainUnemployment in Williams Bay (2.4%) is lower than in 79% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Williams Bay is better than 73% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns (B+). About one in ten stay in Williams Bay for work; outside it, Lake Geneva is the main destination (7%, 6 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 27 minutes, 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 commute and the jobs: Williams Bay in brief
Williams Bay workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 27 minutes each way, against 22 across Wisconsin. Over a year that’s about 207 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in Williams Bay pay little
26% of the jobs based in Williams Bay pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 30% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Williams Bay
Unemployment is its strongest input; the poverty rate ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (8.7%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Williams Bay could be anywhere from C to A+.
Time on the road from Williams Bay: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Williams Bay workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,034 commuters (the 18% 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.
In Williams Bay, services account for most jobs
849 jobs are based in Williams Bay.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Williams Bay, 2013 → 2023: 707 → 849. 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 Williams Bay’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Williams Bay
On a workday 1,188 residents head out to work, 124 work right here, and 725 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,500 people are in Williams Bay on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.65 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.
Where Williams Bay’s working residents head each day
Where Williams Bay clocks in
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.
How far Williams Bay’s workers travel
About 18% 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.
Few in Williams Bay walk, bike or ride to work
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.7% 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 1,261 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.4% of Williams Bay households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Williams Bay’s commuters take a bus or train.
Williams Bay places 1,094th of 4,618 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 2,100 to 4,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Ottawa WI | 3,642 | $153K | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 43 | North Prairie WI | 2,193 | $153K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 52 | Jackson WI | 3,950 | $117K | 0.6% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,092 | Avilla IN | 2,487 | $79K | 5.8% | 2.9% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,093 | Blissfield MI | 3,262 | $62K | 2.3% | 2.6% | 12% | B+ |
| 1,094 | Williams Bay WI | 2,935 | $84K | 8.7% | 2.4% | 9% | B+ |
| 1,095 | Johnson Township IN | 2,470 | $92K | 7.8% | 1.2% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,096 | New Russia Township OH | 2,352 | $83K | 7.5% | 6.1% | 1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,618 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Williams Bay, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
Williams Bay and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Geneva (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Williams Bay workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Bay | – | B+ | B+ | 27 min | $84,113 |
| Linn | under 3% | A | B | 27 min | $99,205 |
| Walworth | under 3% | A | C | 26 min | $94,286 |
| Geneva | 3% | A | B− | 28 min | $96,154 |
| Delavan | under 3% | B+ | C− | 27 min | $75,824 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Williams Bay’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 Williams Bay: questions
What is the median household income in Williams Bay?
$84,113 (±$25,869) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Williams Bay?
8.7%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Williams Bay?
27 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Williams Bay work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lake Geneva (7%, 6 mi), Delavan (6%, 6 mi), Madison (5%, 57 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Williams Bay walkable?
Williams Bay is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.7 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Williams Bay without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Williams Bay, from the people who make the trip.
More of Williams Bay
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.