Work and commuting in Amber Township
Only 6% work in Amber Township; the top destination outside it is Ludington (17%, 5 miles). Amber Township grades C+ for jobs and income and B− for walkability. The trip to work takes 17 minutes on average; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Amber Township: the gist
Amber Township trades workers with the towns around it
Amber Township has about as many jobs (1,031) as working residents (1,006), but they are mostly different people: 945 residents leave for work each day while 970 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in Amber Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
49% of the jobs in Amber Township are in trade, transport and utilities, against 19% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Amber Township and Ludington trade workers both ways
Ludington is the top workplace for Amber Township residents (17%) and also where the most people who work in Amber Township come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from Amber Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 24 across Michigan. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Michigan worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
38% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2021, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; 2021 is the newest year Michigan has published.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Amber Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Amber Township is better than 37% of U.S. towns, #504 of 701 in Michigan. The poverty rate holds Amber Township’s grade up (9.0%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 23% of U.S. towns).
The commuting and job counts on this page are Census LEHD 2021: Michigan reports later than other states, so its newest year is two years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Amber Township could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Who works in Amber Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 945 residents head out to work, 61 work right here, and 970 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.02 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
Inside Amber Township’s 1,031 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Amber Township, 2011 → 2021: 845 → 1,031. 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 Amber Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting out of Amber Township: the destinations
Where Amber Township clocks in
Lines 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.
A commute of about 17 minutes in Amber Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Amber Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,125 commuters (the 9% 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.
Miles to work from Amber Township
About 38% 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.
The commute in Amber Township is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Amber Township is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns, #240 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Amber Township near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,238 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.9% of Amber Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Amber Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,400, Amber Township ranks 2,838th of 4,868 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 129 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 216 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,836 | Virden IL | 3,149 | $81K | 10.2% | 6.8% | 9% | C+ |
| 2,837 | Milford IA | 3,209 | $63K | 8.9% | 4.2% | 23% | C+ |
| 2,838 | Amber Township MI | 2,550 | $71K | 9.0% | 4.6% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,839 | New Haven Township OH | 2,375 | $70K | 21.6% | 2.8% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,840 | Kahuku HI | 2,375 | $75K | 8.0% | 6.9% | 3% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,868 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Amber Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
21% of Amber Township works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Pere Marquette Township (14%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Amber Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber Township | – | C+ | B− | 17 min | $70,515 |
| Riverton Township | 2% | D | D | 22 min | $63,250 |
| Pere Marquette Township | 14% | B | B+ | 15 min | $84,531 |
| Scottville | 3% | D− | A− | 20 min | $51,953 |
| Victory Township | 2% | C− | C | 21 min | $65,938 |
| Custer Township | under 2% | C | C− | 21 min | $56,172 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Amber 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 Amber Township: questions
What is the median household income in Amber Township?
$70,515 (±$8,082) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Amber Township?
9.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Amber Township?
17 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Amber Township work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ludington (17%, 5 mi), Pere Marquette Township (14%, 4 mi), Grand Rapids (4%, 77 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Amber Township walkable?
Amber Township is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Amber 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 Amber Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Amber 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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.