Household incomes in Bronson are lower than in 92% of U.S. towns
Working from home is the commute for 5% of workers, against 14% across Michigan. 20.9% of residents live below the poverty line (Michigan 13.2%). For jobs and income Bronson is better than 22% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (A−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Bronson apart on work
Fewer jobs are based in Bronson than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Bronson fell from 732 in 2011 to 478 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 ↓
Bronson makes and builds things
39% of the jobs based in Bronson are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Bronson residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 41%. 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.
How Bronson earns its Jobs & income grade
Unemployment holds Bronson’s grade up (2.8%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($46,359, U.S. $80,734).
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, Bronson could be anywhere from D to C+.
In Bronson, 39% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
478 jobs are based in Bronson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bronson, 2011 → 2021: 732 → 478. 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 Bronson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in Bronson by day
On a workday 927 residents head out to work, 77 work right here, and 401 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in Bronson on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer than live here.
0.48 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.
18% of working residents work in Coldwater
Where Bronson clocks in
18% of workers
10% of workers
4% 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.
The trip to work from Bronson: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bronson workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 944 commuters (the 5% 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 it is to work from Bronson
About 22% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Bronson
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.8% across Michigan.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 993 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). 5.6% of Bronson households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Bronson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 5,328 U.S. towns of 1,600 to 3,100, Bronson comes 3,908th on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 134 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 216 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,906 | Hooverson Heights WV | 2,090 | $61K | 13.8% | 8.4% | 2% | C− |
| 3,907 | Covington IN | 2,774 | $52K | 15.0% | 4.3% | 17% | C− |
| 3,908 | Bronson MI | 2,316 | $46K | 20.9% | 2.8% | 8% | C− |
| 3,909 | Overton TX | 2,315 | $52K | 17.0% | 6.0% | 6% | C− |
| 3,910 | Pentland Township MI | 2,693 | $69K | 10.5% | 13.7% | 15% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,328 | 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 Bronson, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around Bronson: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Bronson Township (2%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bronson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronson | – | C− | A− | 22 min | $46,359 |
| Bronson Township | 2% | C+ | D− | 36 min | $77,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bronson’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 Bronson: questions
What is the median household income in Bronson?
$46,359 (±$4,459) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bronson?
20.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bronson?
22 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bronson work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Coldwater (18%, 11 mi), Sturgis (10%, 13 mi), Coldwater Township (4%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Bronson walkable?
Bronson is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bronson 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 Bronson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bronson
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.