Households in California Township earn less than those in 91% of U.S. towns
Hardly any work in California Township; the top destination outside it is Coldwater (25%, 12 miles). 40.7% of residents live below the poverty line, next to 13.2% for Michigan as a whole. The two grades for California Township are D− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in California Township: the gist
California Township is a place people come home to
There are 12 jobs based in California Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday California Township has about 840 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
31% 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 ↓
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 366 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Why California Township gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty and job access, California Township is better than 3% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds California Township’s grade up (ahead of 23% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
Unemployment (3.2%) is left out: California 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, California Township could be anywhere from D− to C−.
The daily flow of workers through California Township
On a workday 365 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 11 people come in from elsewhere.
About 840 people are in California Township on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.03 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from California Township
About 31% 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.
Out of California Township to work: where people go
Where California Township clocks in
25% of workers
5% 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.
Goods, not services: 100% of the jobs in California Township
12 jobs are based in California Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in California Township, 2011 → 2021: 15 → 12. 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 California Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 20 minutes each way for California Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of California Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 389 commuters (the 9% 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.
California Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, California Township is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 6.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 1.7.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 426 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). 33.9% of California Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of California Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where California Township sits among U.S. towns of 800 to 1,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 110 | Dimondale MI | 1,183 | $111K | 3.2% | 4.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 271 | Petersburg MI | 1,152 | $83K | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 319 | Milan Township MI | 1,540 | $96K | 6.0% | 4.1% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,016 | Oberlin LA | 1,286 | $32K | 22.1% | 3.1% | 12% | D− |
| 4,017 | Reading MI | 1,084 | $49K | 24.6% | 6.1% | 3% | D− |
| 4,018 | California Township MI | 1,190 | $47K | 40.7% | 3.2% | <1% | D− |
| 4,019 | Moore Township MI | 1,092 | $49K | 18.6% | 3.6% | 3% | D− |
| 4,020 | Lee Township OH | 1,023 | $54K | 29.7% | 5.2% | 0% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,312 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 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 California Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
How California Township compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | California Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Township | – | D− | C+ | 20 min | $47,206 |
| Kinderhook Township | under 2% | B− | D | 27 min | $83,348 |
| Camden Township | under 2% | D− | B− | 31 min | $51,875 |
| Algansee Township | under 2% | C | D | 25 min | $77,978 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of California 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 California Township: questions
What is the median household income in California Township?
$47,206 (±$25,396) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in California Township?
40.7%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from California Township?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in California Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Coldwater (25%, 12 mi), Quincy Township (7%, 10 mi), Coldwater Township (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is California Township walkable?
California Township is more walkable than 38% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 1.7 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around California Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 34% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from California Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of California 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.