Unemployment in Big Creek Township (13.3%) is higher than in 98% of U.S. towns
About one in seven work in Big Creek Township; the top destination outside it is Comins Township (9%, 15 miles). For jobs and income Big Creek Township is better than 2% of U.S. towns (D−); for walkability it is more walkable than 29% of U.S. towns (C). Household incomes here are lower than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Big Creek Township at work: what stands out
A big share show a job far from home
36% 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 ↓
Fewer than half of Big Creek Township workers earn over $40,000 a year
39% of Big Creek Township’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 21% earn $1,250 a month or less. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Big Creek Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Big Creek Township fell from 544 in 2011 to 354 in 2021, −35%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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 761 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The four measures behind Big Creek Township’s grade
The poverty rate holds Big Creek Township’s grade up (18.3%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (near the bottom 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 three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Big Creek Township could be anywhere from D− to D.
The commute from Big Creek Township, by distance
About 36% 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.
Inside Big Creek Township’s 354 jobs
354 jobs are based in Big Creek Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Big Creek Township, 2011 → 2021: 544 → 354. 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 Big Creek Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in Big Creek Township by day
On a workday 648 residents head out to work, 113 work right here, and 241 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,300 people are in Big Creek Township on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.47 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.
Commuting out of Big Creek Township: the destinations
Where Big Creek 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.
The daily trip from Big Creek Township: about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Big Creek Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 783 commuters (the 14% 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.
Getting around Big Creek Township: mostly by car
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 4.9.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 912 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). 4.9% of Big Creek Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Big Creek Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Big Creek Township sits among U.S. towns of 1,900 to 3,700
| # | 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% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 131 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 226 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,851 | Wewoka OK | 3,046 | $38K | 28.5% | 11.2% | 26% | D− |
| 4,852 | Hinton WV | 2,149 | $38K | 35.0% | 3.9% | 22% | D− |
| 4,853 | Big Creek Township MI | 2,739 | $48K | 18.3% | 13.3% | 15% | D− |
| 4,854 | Mount Vernon GA | 1,925 | $33K | 38.8% | 15.1% | 6% | D− |
| 4,855 | Bunkie LA | 3,138 | $22K | 55.0% | 11.6% | 20% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,969 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 0% | 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 Big Creek Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
14% of Big Creek Township works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Mentor Township (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Big Creek Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Creek Township | – | D− | C | 32 min | $48,438 |
| South Branch Township | under 2% | D | C+ | 21 min | $52,292 |
| Mentor Township | 6% | D− | B− | 20 min | $42,500 |
| Greenwood Township | 5% | D− | D | 37 min | $44,625 |
| Elmer Township | 3% | D | B | 22 min | $62,386 |
| Foster Township | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Foster Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Big Creek 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 Big Creek Township: questions
What is the median household income in Big Creek Township?
$48,438 (±$5,405) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Big Creek Township?
18.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Big Creek Township?
32 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Big Creek Township work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Comins Township (9%, 15 mi), Mentor Township (6%, 12 mi), Greenwood Township (5%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Big Creek Township walkable?
Big Creek Township is more walkable than 29% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 4.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Big Creek Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Big Creek Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Big Creek 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.