Sessions Schoolhouse · Photo: kennethaw88 · CC BY 4.0Jobs and earnings in Berlin Township, and the trip to work
For jobs and income Berlin Township is better than 75% of U.S. towns (B+); for walkability it is more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns (D−). Only 3% stay in Berlin Township for work; outside it, Ionia is the main destination (15%, 6 miles). Working residents average 22 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
Berlin Township at work: what stands out
The better-paid jobs are outside Berlin Township
55% of Berlin Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 29% of the jobs based in Berlin Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
48% of the jobs in Berlin Township are in trade, transport and utilities, against 16% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Berlin Township pay little
31% of the jobs based in Berlin Township pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 41% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
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; with 795 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Berlin Township
The poverty rate holds Berlin Township’s grade up (3.7%, U.S. 12.5%); household income pulls it down ($74,250, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on job access by car.
Unemployment (2.9%) is left out: Berlin Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
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 and poverty, Berlin Township could be anywhere from B− to A.
What Berlin Township’s employers do
961 jobs are based in Berlin Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Berlin Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,018 → 961. 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 Berlin Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Berlin Township on a workday
On a workday 773 residents head out to work, 22 work right here, and 939 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 (1.21 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.
Where Berlin Township’s working residents head each day
Where Berlin 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.
Time on the road from Berlin Township: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Berlin Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 761 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Berlin Township
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.
Driving is how Berlin Township gets around
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 845 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). 6.0% of Berlin Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Berlin Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
962nd of 5,404: where Berlin Township ranks among U.S. towns of 1,500 to 2,900
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 94 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 132 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 213 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 960 | Dalton OH | 1,921 | $69K | 4.1% | 3.9% | 9% | B+ |
| 961 | Ozawkie Township KS | 1,638 | $99K | 1.6% | 2.1% | 1% | B+ |
| 962 | Berlin Township MI | 2,160 | $74K | 3.7% | 2.9% | 3% | B+ |
| 963 | The Galena Territory IL | 1,735 | $118K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 13% | B+ |
| 964 | Chesilhurst NJ | 1,564 | $92K | 10.4% | 7.9% | 1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,404 | 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 Berlin Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Berlin Township and its neighbors: 23% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Berlin Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Township | – | B+ | D− | 22 min | $74,250 |
| Easton Township | under 3% | C+ | D | 27 min | $76,418 |
| Ionia | 15% | B | B | 22 min | $63,978 |
| Orange Township | under 3% | B+ | C+ | 22 min | $91,667 |
| Boston Township | 4% | B | C | 28 min | $83,977 |
| Ionia Township | 4% | C− | C− | 27 min | $60,189 |
| Odessa Township | under 3% | B− | B− | 27 min | $78,281 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Ionia. Darker towns draw more of Berlin 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 Berlin Township: questions
What is the median household income in Berlin Township?
$74,250 (±$17,298) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Berlin Township?
3.7%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Berlin Township?
22 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Berlin Township work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ionia (15%, 6 mi), Grand Rapids (8%, 27 mi), Boston Township (4%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Berlin Township walkable?
Berlin Township is more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 4.1 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Berlin Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Berlin Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Berlin 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.