Unemployment in Bedford Township (9.2%) is higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Bedford Township is better than 29% of U.S. towns (C); for walkability it is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns (D). Only 4% work in Bedford Township; the top destination outside it is Battle Creek (35%, 6 miles). Working residents average 19 minutes each way, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Bedford Township at work: what stands out
A lot of Bedford Township works one town over
38% of working residents work in a town that borders Bedford Township: Battle Creek (35%) and Springfield (3%). Next door ↓
The jobs in Bedford Township pay better than its residents’ jobs
71% of the jobs based in Bedford Township pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 53% of the jobs Bedford Township residents hold. 92% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Bedford Township. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Bedford Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 24 across Michigan. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Michigan 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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Bedford Township
Job access by car holds Bedford Township’s grade up (ahead of 60% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
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, Bedford Township could be anywhere from C− to B−.
71% of the jobs in Bedford Township pay over $3,333 a month
2,064 jobs are based in Bedford Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bedford Township, 2011 → 2021: 2,068 → 2,064. 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 Bedford Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Bedford Township: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bedford Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,475 commuters (the 10% 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.
Bedford Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 3,332 residents head out to work, 157 work right here, and 1,907 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,700 people are in Bedford Township on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.59 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
Out of Bedford Township to work: where people go
Where Bedford Township clocks in
35% of workers
3% 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.
How many miles Bedford Township commutes
About 17% 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.
Getting around Bedford Township: mostly by car
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,840 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). 1.6% of Bedford Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Bedford Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 6,400 to 12,300, Bedford Township ranks 2,235th of 2,855 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Pimmit Hills VA | 6,589 | $173K | 1.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Braddock VA | 6,536 | $212K | 0.9% | 1.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 4 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 33 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 66 | Jamestown Township MI | 10,702 | $120K | 2.8% | 1.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,233 | Worth IL | 10,696 | $56K | 21.1% | 8.5% | 4% | C |
| 2,234 | Grove OK | 7,399 | $59K | 18.1% | 2.1% | 27% | C |
| 2,235 | Bedford Township MI | 9,145 | $68K | 13.0% | 9.2% | 4% | C |
| 2,236 | Chester IL | 6,847 | $81K | 21.7% | 4.7% | 24% | C |
| 2,237 | Micco FL | 8,896 | $46K | 11.7% | 3.8% | 6% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,855 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Bedford Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door is work for 38% of Bedford Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bedford Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Township | – | C | D | 19 min | $67,695 |
| Battle Creek | 35% | C− | B+ | 19 min | $55,693 |
| Pennfield Township | under 2% | B− | C− | 22 min | $66,119 |
| Ross Township | under 2% | A− | C− | 25 min | $103,932 |
| Springfield | 3% | C− | B | 19 min | $44,808 |
| Johnstown Township | under 2% | B− | C | 27 min | $81,875 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Battle Creek. Darker towns draw more of Bedford 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 Bedford Township: questions
What is the median household income in Bedford Township?
$67,695 (±$9,616) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bedford Township?
13.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bedford Township?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bedford Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Battle Creek (35%, 6 mi), Emmett Township (5%, 10 mi), Kalamazoo (3%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Bedford Township walkable?
Bedford Township is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 4.2 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bedford 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 Bedford Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bedford 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.