Alabaster Historic District · Photo: George Perry Grimsley · Public domainWith 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Alabaster Township works elsewhere
A typical one-way commute lasts 29 minutes, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26. Employers in Alabaster Township report 18 jobs, against 138 working residents. Hardly any stay in Alabaster Township for work; outside it, Tawas City is the main destination (16%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Alabaster Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 138 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 18 people come in from elsewhere.
About 310 people are in Alabaster Township on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
The places Alabaster Township commutes to
Where Alabaster Township clocks in
16% 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.
Alabaster Township makes things: 56% of its jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Alabaster Township, 2011 → 2021: 33 → 18. 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 2021.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Alabaster Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Alabaster Township: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Alabaster Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 122 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Michigan: 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.
Where in the region Alabaster Township works
About 39% 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 2021.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Alabaster Township and its neighbors: 13% work next door
The biggest share goes to Tawas Township (10%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Alabaster Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabaster Township | – | — | — | 29 min | $78,125 |
| Tawas Township | 10% | D | C | 25 min | $59,531 |
| Sherman Township | 3% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Whitney Township | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Sherman Township and Whitney Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Alabaster Township’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 2021, 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 Alabaster Township: questions
What is the median household income in Alabaster Township?
$78,125 (±$23,332) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Alabaster Township?
7.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Alabaster Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Alabaster Township work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tawas City (16%, 6 mi), Tawas Township (10%, 6 mi), East Tawas (7%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Alabaster Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Alabaster Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Alabaster Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2021, 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.