Work & commute · Medford

Work & commute in Medford, WI

48% of Medford’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Abbotsford (4%), Colby (3%) and Wausau (2%). Half commute less than 2 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

48%

954 of 1,986 working residents

Typical commute

2 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

14 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,032 Medford residents head out of town to work, 954 work right here, and 4,352 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Medford.

1,032live here, work elsewhere

954live and work here

4,352work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Medford goes to work

Medford (in town)right here

48%954

Abbotsford13.3 mi away

4%70

Colby15.5 mi away

3%52

Wausau36.1 mi away

2%42

Medford2.6 mi away

2%38

Little Black4.6 mi away

2%35

Eau Claire60.4 mi away

2%34

Marathon City27.7 mi away

2%30

Menomonie78.4 mi away

1%26

Madison148.6 mi away

1%23

Everywhere elseother towns and states

34%682

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Medford commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

56%

11%

23%

56%Under 10 mi

11%10–24 mi

11%25–50 mi

23%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Medford is a job hub

2.67jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Medford are

5,306 jobs are based in Medford. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Medford’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Medford

5,306 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)41%

Trade, transport & utilities14%

Services (health, schools, offices…)45%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month58%

Jobs Medford residents hold

1,986 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)35%

Trade, transport & utilities17%

Services (health, schools, offices…)48%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month24%

Over $3,333 a month59%

−2%

Jobs based in Medford, 2013 → 2023: 5,416 → 5,306. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.