With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Ashland Township works elsewhere
Only 1% stay in Ashland Township for work; outside it, Grand Rapids is the main destination (12%, 28 miles). Employers in Ashland Township report 195 jobs, against 1,145 working residents. Ashland Township grades B− for jobs and income and B− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Ashland Township apart on work
Ashland Township is a place people come home to
There are 195 jobs based in Ashland Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Ashland Township has about 1,900 people in it, 33% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Ashland Township’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Ashland Township is Grand Rapids, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 12% of working residents (140) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Ashland Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
The four measures behind Ashland Township’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ashland Township is better than 45% of U.S. towns, #436 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Ashland Township’s grade up (3.3%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 30% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
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, Ashland Township could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Who leaves Ashland Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,130 residents head out to work, 15 work right here, and 180 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,900 people are in Ashland Township on a workday afternoon, 33% 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 distance from Ashland Township to work
About 16% 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.
Ashland Township’s commute takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ashland Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,051 commuters (the 7% 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.
Commuting out of Ashland Township: the destinations
Where Ashland Township clocks in
6% 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.
66% of the jobs in Ashland Township make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ashland Township, 2011 → 2021: 164 → 195. 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 Ashland Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Ashland Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ashland Township is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns, #231 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 6.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 5.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,136 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). 1.5% of Ashland Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Ashland Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Ashland Township ranks: 2,580th of 4,882 U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 144 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 240 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,578 | Morganfield KY | 3,102 | $66K | 15.9% | 0.4% | 22% | B− |
| 2,579 | Henry Township IN | 2,994 | $80K | 14.3% | 2.8% | 11% | B− |
| 2,580 | Ashland Township MI | 2,861 | $68K | 9.4% | 3.3% | 1% | B− |
| 2,581 | Lake Edward Township MN | 2,234 | $82K | 6.7% | 5.2% | 4% | B− |
| 2,582 | Yates NY | 2,520 | $87K | 18.8% | 1.3% | 12% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,882 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Ashland Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Ashland Township and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Grant (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ashland Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland Township | – | B− | B− | 30 min | $67,778 |
| Grant | 4% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Grant Township | under 3% | C+ | C− | 29 min | $73,500 |
| Garfield Township | under 3% | B | C | 35 min | $84,688 |
| Bridgeton Township | under 3% | C+ | D− | 33 min | $62,228 |
| Casnovia Township | 2% | B− | C− | 27 min | $83,333 |
| Sheridan Township | under 3% | B− | C+ | 21 min | $76,042 |
Same-state neighbors only. Grant: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ashland 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 Ashland Township: questions
What is the median household income in Ashland Township?
$67,778 (±$9,977) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ashland Township?
9.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ashland Township?
30 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ashland Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grand Rapids (12%, 28 mi), Newaygo (6%, 6 mi), Fremont (6%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Ashland Township walkable?
Ashland Township is more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ashland Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ashland Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ashland 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.