For about half of its working residents, Chocolay Township is a commute to Marquette
Only 6% work in Chocolay Township itself; outside it, Marquette draws the most (46%, 9 miles). Jobs and income earn Chocolay Township C+; getting around on foot earns it C+. The average commute takes 20 minutes each way, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Chocolay Township
Fewer jobs are based in Chocolay Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Chocolay Township fell from 1,932 in 2011 to 829 in 2021, −57%. 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 ↓
Nearly half of Chocolay Township works in Marquette
1,056 working residents, 46%, have their main job in Marquette, 9 miles away. That’s 8 times as many as work in Chocolay Township itself. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Chocolay Township
54% of Chocolay Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 27% of the jobs based in Chocolay Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Chocolay Township pay little
32% of the jobs based in Chocolay Township pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 41% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Chocolay Township’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chocolay Township is better than 41% of U.S. towns, #472 of 701 in Michigan. Household income holds Chocolay Township’s grade up ($87,167, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 11% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
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, Chocolay Township could be anywhere from C− to B+.
What work there is in Chocolay Township: 829 jobs
829 jobs are based in Chocolay Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chocolay Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,932 → 829. 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 Chocolay Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Out of Chocolay Township to work: where people go
Where Chocolay Township clocks in
46% 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.
How a workday changes Chocolay Township
On a workday 2,176 residents head out to work, 140 work right here, and 689 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,500 people are in Chocolay Township on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.36 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.
About 20 minutes each way, quicker than most of Michigan
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chocolay Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,654 commuters (the 8% 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 Chocolay Township
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.
Most trips from Chocolay Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chocolay Township is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns, #371 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 5.5.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,893 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). 2.6% of Chocolay Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Chocolay Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
2,158th of 3,394: where Chocolay Township ranks among U.S. towns of 4,200 to 8,100
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 116 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,156 | Loudon TN | 6,963 | $54K | 18.5% | 2.4% | 20% | C+ |
| 2,157 | Washington Township IN | 6,498 | $62K | 11.7% | 2.9% | 25% | C+ |
| 2,158 | Chocolay Township MI | 6,014 | $87K | 9.4% | 4.4% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,159 | Paradise Township MI | 5,101 | $74K | 6.3% | 5.3% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,160 | Northfield VT | 5,873 | $72K | 12.5% | 2.9% | 24% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,394 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | 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 Chocolay Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Chocolay Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Sands Township (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chocolay Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolay Township | – | C+ | C+ | 20 min | $87,167 |
| Sands Township | 1% | B+ | C | 18 min | $87,443 |
| Onota Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
| West Branch Township | under 2% | D | C | 21 min | $63,142 |
| Skandia Township | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Onota Township and Skandia Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chocolay 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 Chocolay Township: questions
What is the median household income in Chocolay Township?
$87,167 (±$12,200) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chocolay Township?
9.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chocolay Township?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chocolay Township work?
6% work in town.
Is Chocolay Township walkable?
Chocolay Township is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 5.5 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chocolay Township without a car?
<1% 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 Chocolay Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chocolay 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.