Most of Blue Lake Township commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
Working residents average 48 minutes each way; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26. Blue Lake Township has 26 jobs; 108 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Blue Lake Township; the top destination outside it is Kalkaska Township (11%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Blue Lake Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 107 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 25 people come in from elsewhere.
About 330 people are in Blue Lake Township on a workday afternoon, 20% 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 towns that employ Blue Lake Township’s residents
Where Blue Lake Township clocks in
9% of workers
8% 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.
65% of the jobs in Blue Lake Township pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Blue Lake Township, 2011 → 2021: 27 → 26. 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 Blue Lake Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Blue Lake Township: about 48 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 15.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Blue Lake Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 127 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Blue Lake Township
About 26% 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.
How Blue Lake Township compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Mancelona Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Blue Lake Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lake Township | – | — | — | 48 min | $68,750 |
| Coldsprings Township | under 3% | D | D− | 35 min | $61,198 |
| Bear Lake Township | under 3% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Mancelona Township | 4% | D | C+ | 28 min | $65,412 |
| Frederic Township | under 3% | C− | B | 37 min | $65,333 |
Same-state neighbors only. Bear Lake Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Blue Lake 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 Blue Lake Township: questions
What is the median household income in Blue Lake Township?
$68,750 (±$20,138) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Blue Lake Township?
15.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Blue Lake Township?
48 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Blue Lake Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Kalkaska Township (11%, 16 mi), Traverse City (9%, 34 mi), Garfield Township (8%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Blue Lake Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Blue Lake Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Blue Lake 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.