These Are The 10 Hardest Working Places In Wisconsin

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America has been known as the land of opportunity for as long as I can remember. Itâs the one place in the world where if you bare down and work your nose to the grindstone, you can make a better life for your family and yourself.

And while everyone in Wisconsin works hard, thereâs a certain part of the Badger State that takes the Puritan work ethic to the extreme â the hardest working places in Wisconsin .

Whoâs the leader of this work around the clock ethos? That would be Mcfarland which takes top honors for the hardest working place in Wisconsin. People work so hard there they manage to make getting to work a job.

So what other places burn the midnight oil to bring home a large piece of bacon? Youâre going to have to get to the office early and stay late on Fridays to beat out these places in Wisconsin for a promotion:

So listen up Wisconsin Rapids as we explain how we created this ranking, you could learn some things from the rest of the state.

For more WI reading, check out:

How We Determined The Hardest Working Places In The Badger State

Like all problems here at Zippia, we start with the data to answer the hard questions. Some might even consider us the hardest working data-crunchers this side of the Mississippi.

In this particular case, we went to the latest version of the American Community Survey looking for answers. As luck would have it, the Census Bureau just released the 2009-2014 5-Yr Estimate which would make this analysis the first of itâs kind with the new data.

After scrolling through what seemed like hundreds of criteria, we settled on this set for each State:

Average hours worked
Average commute time
Workers per household (Employed labor force divided by the number households)
Labor force participation rate
Adults with a college degree

Our thinking went something along these lines: if you spent the many years getting a degree, are actively seeking employment, work a ton of hours when employed, and spend forever getting to work, you get the Zippia hardworking stamp of approval.

After we got the data for all 144 places in Wisconsin, we ranked each place from 1 to 144 for each of the criteria with 1 being the âhardest workingâ.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each to create a hardworking index.

Finally, we crowned the place with the lowest hard working index the âHardest Working Place In Wisconsinâ. And, at the end of the day, Mcfarland had its hard work pay off.

Read the detailed chart below to learn a bit more about why each place ranked where it did.

1. Mcfarland

Population: 8,009 College Graduates: 49.1%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 38.6
Workers Per Household: 1.5

2. Cottage Grove

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 6,533Â College Graduates: 45.1%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 39.1
Workers Per Household: 1.7

3. Waunakee

Population: 12,613Â College Graduates: 50.5%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 37.8
Workers Per Household: 1.6

4. Deforest

Population: 9,232 College Graduates: 34.4%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 38.7
Workers Per Household: 1.6

5. Sussex

Population: 10,632Â College Graduates: 35.8%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 38.8
Workers Per Household: 1.5

6. Muskego

Population: 24,387Â College Graduates: 33.6%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 37.2
Workers Per Household: 1.6

7. Lake Hallie

Population: 6,550 College Graduates: 26.0%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 40.3
Workers Per Household: 1.6

8. Hobart

Population: 6,951Â College Graduates: 39.1%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 40.0
Workers Per Household: 1.5

9. Whitefish Bay

Population: 14,132Â College Graduates: 75.8%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 38.9
Workers Per Household: 1.4

10. Grafton

Population: 11,539Â College Graduates: 40.3%
Average Hours Worked Per Week: 38.0
Workers Per Household: 1.4

Detailed List Of Hardest Places In Wisconsin

CityRankPopulationCollege GraduatesAverage Hours Worked Per WeekWorkers Per Household

McFarland	1	8,009	49.1%	38.6	1.5
Cottage Grove	2	6,533	45.1%	39.1	1.7
Waunakee	3	12,613	50.5%	37.8	1.6
DeForest	4	9,232	34.4%	38.7	1.6
Sussex	5	10,632	35.8%	38.8	1.5
Muskego	6	24,387	33.6%	37.2	1.6
Lake Hallie	7	6,550	26.0%	40.3	1.6
Hobart	8	6,951	39.1%	40.0	1.5
Whitefish Bay	9	14,132	75.8%	38.9	1.4
Grafton	10	11,539	40.3%	38.0	1.4
Verona	11	11,353	50.5%	38.5	1.3
Kronenwetter	12	7,330	31.7%	37.7	1.7
Wind Lake	13	5,347	26.0%	38.7	1.6
Platteville	14	11,480	32.3%	32.6	1.8
Pewaukee	15	13,599	48.8%	38.6	1.4
Suamico	16	11,621	33.7%	38.6	1.7
River Falls	17	15,050	39.8%	34.2	1.7
Elm Grove	18	5,985	75.9%	39.9	1.3
Richfield	19	11,365	36.6%	39.0	1.6
Sun Prairie	20	30,601	42.5%	38.1	1.5
Oregon	21	9,629	37.3%	39.1	1.5
Mount Horeb	22	7,286	36.6%	37.8	1.4
Oconomowoc	23	15,990	39.8%	39.2	1.4
Wauwatosa	24	46,838	55.8%	39.4	1.3
Evansville	25	5,089	24.2%	38.2	1.5
Fox Point	26	6,695	76.5%	39.2	1.3
Menomonee Falls	27	35,828	40.8%	38.6	1.3
Fitchburg	28	26,050	45.9%	38.5	1.5
Franklin	29	35,920	34.1%	39.1	1.4
Port Washington	30	11,401	37.7%	37.2	1.4
Hartland	31	9,161	38.8%	39.4	1.4
Rothschild	32	5,279	24.9%	38.9	1.4
Appleton	33	72,861	31.9%	37.6	1.4
Tichigan	34	5,332	30.7%	38.7	1.5
New Berlin	35	39,712	40.6%	38.8	1.3
Germa	36	19,791	38.6%	40.0	1.5
Shorewood	37	13,245	67.6%	37.8	1.3
Madison	38	239,848	55.0%	35.9	1.4
Mukwonago	39	7,426	30.7%	37.1	1.3
Hudson	40	13,023	46.7%	39.8	1.3
Brookfield	41	37,971	57.7%	38.3	1.3
Delafield	42	7,136	51.3%	40.3	1.3
Rib Mountain	43	5,512	38.7%	39.5	1.4
Stoughton	44	12,886	36.9%	37.3	1.4
Waukesha	45	71,083	34.4%	37.5	1.4
Lake Mills	46	5,768	34.2%	39.2	1.3
Hales Corners	47	7,749	35.6%	36.5	1.4
Mequon	48	23,300	63.9%	38.4	1.3
Cedarburg	49	11,485	55.7%	37.7	1.3
Onalaska	50	18,148	35.7%	39.1	1.3
Middleton	51	18,185	56.0%	38.2	1.3
Eau Claire	52	67,036	32.6%	34.9	1.5
Whitewater	53	14,801	35.1%	30.9	1.8
De Pere	54	24,216	34.5%	37.2	1.4
Howard	55	18,313	27.4%	37.5	1.5
Oak Creek	56	34,823	29.1%	39.0	1.4
Allouez	57	13,948	38.7%	38.3	1.3
Hartford	58	14,251	21.9%	38.3	1.4
Kaukauna	59	15,649	21.3%	38.5	1.5
Glendale	60	12,893	52.7%	37.5	1.1
Neenah	61	25,697	29.3%	38.3	1.3
Bellevue	62	14,936	24.9%	38.5	1.3
Menomonie	63	16,219	31.1%	32.0	1.5
La Crosse	64	51,864	30.6%	34.1	1.4
Slinger	65	5,131	24.7%	39.8	1.3
Little Chute	66	10,520	21.7%	38.3	1.4
Altoona	67	6,940	30.6%	38.9	1.3
Caledonia	68	24,689	31.1%	39.4	1.4
Pleasant Prairie	69	20,015	34.4%	38.2	1.4
Pewaukee	70	8,233	37.2%	38.8	1.2
Waterford	71	5,346	26.5%	40.0	1.4
Plover	72	12,195	31.6%	38.6	1.4
Holmen	73	9,335	23.3%	39.5	1.3
Ripon	74	7,699	23.4%	35.9	1.4
Columbus	75	5,014	31.2%	39.7	1.4
Stevens Point	76	26,778	34.2%	33.7	1.5
Jackson	77	6,773	24.0%	40.0	1.3
West Bend	78	31,496	26.1%	37.9	1.3
Monona	79	7,711	44.4%	38.2	1.1
North Fond du Lac	80	5,000	11.3%	38.8	1.4
Weston	81	14,937	24.0%	38.7	1.4
Greendale	82	14,208	38.9%	38.4	1.2
Fort Atkinson	83	12,436	26.8%	39.3	1.3
Oshkosh	84	66,430	24.8%	36.1	1.4
Jefferson	85	7,968	17.1%	38.3	1.3
Brown Deer	86	12,067	38.6%	38.0	1.2
Sturtevant	87	6,981	15.6%	37.7	1.3
Lake Geneva	88	7,693	29.5%	37.6	1.3
Plymouth	89	8,408	28.8%	37.7	1.2
Mount Pleasant	90	26,220	33.0%	39.2	1.3
Twin Lakes	91	6,033	22.6%	37.8	1.4
Reedsburg	92	9,411	17.2%	37.3	1.3
Marshfield	93	18,514	25.8%	37.9	1.2
Kimberly	94	6,590	22.6%	38.9	1.2
Milton	95	5,562	23.6%	39.7	1.3
Ashwaubenon	96	17,065	26.8%	37.4	1.3
Greenfield	97	36,990	26.7%	38.8	1.2
Menasha	98	17,535	21.7%	37.4	1.3
Monroe	99	10,807	20.0%	38.2	1.2
Delavan	100	8,467	16.2%	37.9	1.5
New Richmond	101	8,501	23.8%	38.4	1.4
Watertown	102	23,899	22.8%	36.9	1.4
Elkhorn	103	10,020	21.8%	38.4	1.4
Waupun	104	11,336	10.1%	38.1	1.2
Kenosha	105	99,709	23.0%	37.4	1.4
Tomah	106	9,281	18.6%	39.4	1.1
Edgerton	107	5,478	20.9%	40.5	1.2
Burlington	108	10,528	18.5%	37.9	1.4
Beaver Dam	109	16,331	18.9%	38.4	1.3
Portage	110	10,227	18.2%	36.3	1.3
Mayville	111	5,086	12.6%	39.2	1.4
Green Bay	112	104,574	23.1%	37.2	1.3
Sheboygan Falls	113	7,796	23.7%	39.4	1.2
South Milwaukee	114	21,210	18.8%	37.9	1.4
Baraboo	115	12,046	21.3%	36.9	1.3
West Allis	116	60,595	22.4%	38.0	1.3
St. Francis	117	9,488	27.3%	37.7	1.2
Janesville	118	63,674	21.5%	37.9	1.3
Ashland	119	8,167	29.1%	36.5	1.2
Sheboygan	120	48,918	18.5%	37.4	1.3
Sturgeon Bay	121	9,093	25.6%	37.0	1.1
Wausau	122	39,209	25.1%	36.9	1.2
Richland Center	123	5,128	20.2%	36.9	1.2
Fond du Lac	124	43,007	22.1%	37.9	1.3
Shawano	125	9,202	17.5%	36.6	1.1
Two Rivers	126	11,577	18.2%	37.1	1.1
Milwaukee	127	598,078	22.8%	36.6	1.3
Manitowoc	128	33,443	21.8%	38.0	1.2
Superior	129	26,932	22.4%	35.4	1.2
Berlin	130	5,451	13.4%	40.1	1.1
Prairie du Chien	131	5,829	15.9%	37.0	1.2
Sparta	132	9,610	18.9%	38.5	1.2
Waupaca	133	6,016	15.4%	39.4	1.2
New London	134	7,091	15.4%	38.7	1.3
Cudahy	135	18,321	20.9%	37.9	1.2
Merrill	136	9,491	14.6%	37.6	1.2
Racine	137	78,347	17.2%	37.4	1.3
Chippewa Falls	138	13,803	21.1%	38.2	1.0
Rhinelander	139	7,642	18.5%	36.7	1.2
Beloit	140	36,876	15.4%	36.6	1.3
Marinette	141	10,890	14.8%	38.6	1.1
Rice Lake	142	8,353	18.3%	36.7	1.1
Antigo	143	8,075	12.1%	37.2	1.0
Wisconsin Rapids	144	18,162	15.3%	36.7	1.0

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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