Jobs and the daily commute in Backus Township
61 jobs are based in Backus Township for 72 working residents. Only 1% work in Backus Township itself; outside it, Denton Township draws the most (14%, 7 miles). The average commute, 24 minutes each way, matches the Michigan norm.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily commute in and out of Backus Township
On a workday 71 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 60 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 (0.85 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.
Commuting out of Backus Township: the destinations
Where Backus 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.
Making and building: 93% of jobs based in Backus Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Backus Township, 2011 → 2021: 72 → 61. 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 Backus Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Backus Township: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Backus Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 145 commuters (the 8% 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.
How far Backus Township goes to work
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.
Next door is work for 20% of Backus Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Backus Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backus Township | – | — | — | 24 min | $62,500 |
| Higgins Township | 6% | C− | C+ | 20 min | $55,313 |
| Denton Township | 14% | D | B | 24 min | $45,640 |
| Richfield Township | under 3% | D− | C+ | 29 min | $47,055 |
| Nester Township | under 3% | — | — | 46 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Nester Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Denton Township. Darker towns draw more of Backus 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 Backus Township: questions
What is the median household income in Backus Township?
$62,500 (±$14,905) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Backus Township?
14.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Backus Township?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Backus Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Denton Township (14%, 7 mi), Roscommon Township (7%, 11 mi), Grayling (6%, 28 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Backus Township without a car?
2% 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 Backus Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Backus 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.