Work & commute · Waukesha

Work & commute in Waukesha, WI

About one in 5 of Waukesha’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Milwaukee (12%), Pewaukee (6%) and Brookfield (6%). Half commute less than 10 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

20%

6,998 of 35,617 working residents

Typical commute

10 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

21 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

13%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 28,619 Waukesha residents head out of town to work, 6,998 work right here, and 32,444 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Waukesha.

28,619live here, work elsewhere

6,998live and work here

32,444work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Waukesha goes to work

Waukesha (in town)right here

20%6,998

Milwaukee14.5 mi away

12%4,425

Pewaukee3.9 mi away

6%2,154

Brookfield7.5 mi away

6%2,138

Wauwatosa11.2 mi away

5%1,794

New Berlin6.4 mi away

4%1,602

West Allis10.9 mi away

3%1,113

Menomonee Falls12.1 mi away

3%1,029

Brookfield4.2 mi away

2%756

Madison60.1 mi away

2%700

Everywhere elseother towns and states

36%12,908

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

How far

How far Waukesha commutes

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

51%

36%

51%Under 10 mi

36%10–24 mi

5%25–50 mi

9%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Waukesha is balanced between jobs and homes

1.11jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.11 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Waukesha are

39,442 jobs are based in Waukesha. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Waukesha’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Waukesha

39,442 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)25%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)54%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month22%

Over $3,333 a month64%

Jobs Waukesha residents hold

35,617 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)22%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)59%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month21%

Over $3,333 a month65%

+2%

Jobs based in Waukesha, 2013 → 2023: 38,520 → 39,442. 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.