Photo: Jamie Begin · CC BY-SA 4.0Chelsea has 2.2 jobs for every working resident: 4,783 people commute in to work
Jobs & income B+: better than 67% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #262 of 701 in Michigan.
Walkability A−: more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns · #66 of 701 in Michigan.
Household incomes here are lower than in 55% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 24 minutes each way (Michigan 24, U.S. 26). About one in seven work in Chelsea; the top destination outside it is Ann Arbor (24%, 15 miles).
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.0 transit trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 35.1 in Ann Arbor (EPA, 2020 schedules).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Chelsea
Chelsea is where the jobs are
Chelsea has 5,166 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 8,300 people are in town, 53% more than the 5,400 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Chelsea works from home
26% of Chelsea workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Time on the road ↓
Chelsea draws workers from far and wide
The 5,166 jobs in Chelsea are filled from a wide area. Chelsea’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 65% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
What’s behind Chelsea’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chelsea is better than 67% of U.S. towns, #262 of 701 in Michigan. The poverty rate holds Chelsea’s grade up (4.1%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down (4.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on job access by car.
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, Chelsea could be anywhere from B− to A.
Chelsea fills up on a workday
On a workday 1,924 residents head out to work, 383 work right here, and 4,783 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,300 people are in Chelsea on a workday afternoon, 53% more than live here.
2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
About 24 minutes each way, about the MI average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chelsea workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,719 commuters (the 26% who work from home are left out). Across Michigan: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Where Chelsea’s workers come from
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Chelsea clocks in
24% of workers
4% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Chelsea makes things: 31% of its jobs are in goods
5,166 jobs are based in Chelsea. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Chelsea’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chelsea, 2011 → 2021: 4,690 → 5,166. 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.
Half of Chelsea commutes less than 16 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2021.
Chelsea is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chelsea is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns, #66 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Chelsea near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,335 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 11.2% of Chelsea households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Chelsea’s commuters take a bus or train.
Chelsea is 1,309th of 3,541 U.S. towns of 3,800 to 7,300 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Chelsea, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 124 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,307 | Red Chute LA | 6,526 | $86K | 7.5% | 4.1% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,308 | Wonder Lake IL | 5,593 | $95K | 2.9% | 7.2% | <1% | B+ |
| 1,309 | Chelsea MI | 5,424 | $72K | 4.1% | 4.9% | 17% | B+ |
| 1,310 | Lake City MN | 5,306 | $72K | 5.9% | 0.6% | 37% | B+ |
| 1,311 | West View PA | 6,355 | $84K | 8.8% | 5.1% | 4% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,541 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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.
Chelsea and the towns next door
Darker towns draw more of Chelsea’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chelsea workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | – | B+ | A− | 24 min | $72,098 |
| Lima Township | under 2% | A+ | C− | 23 min | $119,236 |
| Sylvan Township | under 2% | A | B− | 26 min | $102,656 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Chelsea: questions
What is the median household income in Chelsea?
$72,098 (±$11,217) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chelsea?
4.1%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chelsea?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chelsea work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ann Arbor (24%, 15 mi), Scio Township (4%, 9 mi), Pittsfield Township (4%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Chelsea walkable?
Chelsea is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.9 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chelsea without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chelsea, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chelsea
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.