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Work & commute · Nelson

Work & commute in Nelson, WI

Most working residents leave Nelson for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Wabasha (12%), Alma (9%) and La Crosse (6%). Half commute less than 26 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times
Work in town
5%
16 of 293 working residents
Typical commute
26 mi
Half commute less than this, straight-line
Average commute time
22 min
One way, from the Census survey
Work from home
5%
of workers, from the Census survey
Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 277 Nelson residents head out of town to work, 16 work right here, and 96 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Nelson.

277live here, work elsewhere
16live and work here
96work here, live elsewhere
Leave for workStayCome in
The map

Where Nelson goes to work

Lake CityNorthfieldWabashaWinonaRochesterNelsonDurandBuffalo CityAlmaMenomonieLa CrosseEau ClairePepinModenaMaxvilleNelsonNaplesPepinAlmaWabashaAlmaLa CrosseDurandWinonaLake CityRochesterMenomonieEau ClaireNelson
1
Wabasha, MN6 mi away
12%35
2
Alma7.5 mi away
9%25
3
La Crosse56.5 mi away
6%19
4
Nelson (in town)right here
5%16
5
Durand12.6 mi away
5%14
6
Winona, MN30.9 mi away
3%10
7
Lake City, MN15.1 mi away
3%9
8
Rochester, MN38.6 mi away
3%9
9
Menomonie31.2 mi away
2%7
10
Eau Claire35.2 mi away
2%7
Everywhere elseother towns and states
48%142

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

How far

How far Nelson commutes

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

28%Under 10 mi
21%10–24 mi
22%25–50 mi
29%Over 50 mi
Job hub or commuter town?

Nelson is a commuter town

0.38jobs per working resident
A commuter town

0.38 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Nelson are

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

Jobs based in Nelson

112 jobs
Goods (factories, building, farms)70%
Trade, transport & utilities21%
Services (health, schools, offices…)9%
$1,250 a month or less21%
$1,251–$3,333 a month33%
Over $3,333 a month46%

Jobs Nelson residents hold

293 working residents
Goods (factories, building, farms)28%
Trade, transport & utilities22%
Services (health, schools, offices…)50%
$1,250 a month or less21%
$1,251–$3,333 a month24%
Over $3,333 a month55%
+5%

Jobs based in Nelson, 2013 → 2023: 107 → 112. 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.

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Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Nelson, WIBuffalo CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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