Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0Columbia Township has lower unemployment (1.1%) than 94% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Columbia Township B+; getting around on foot earns it C. About one in ten stay in Columbia Township for work; outside it, Jackson is the main destination (18%, 12 miles). Working residents average 38 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
Where Columbia Township stands out on work
Income, poverty and work: Columbia Township’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Columbia Township is better than 72% of U.S. towns, #215 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Columbia Township’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 36% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and 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, Columbia Township could be anywhere from B to A−.
A commute of about 38 minutes in Columbia Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 12 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Columbia Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,003 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.
The daily flow of workers through Columbia Township
On a workday 2,458 residents head out to work, 285 work right here, and 1,195 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,300 people are in Columbia Township on a workday afternoon, 17% fewer than live here.
0.54 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.
The towns that employ Columbia Township’s residents
Where Columbia Township clocks in
18% 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.
Making and building: 34% of jobs based in Columbia Township
1,480 jobs are based in Columbia Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Columbia Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,433 → 1,480. 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 Columbia Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Columbia Township commutes less than 15 miles
About 18% 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 of Columbia Township commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Columbia Township is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns, #408 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Columbia Township 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 3,475 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). 4.4% of Columbia Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Columbia Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Columbia Township is 1,062nd of 3,027 U.S. towns of 5,300 to 10,100
| # | 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 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,060 | Fairfield Township NJ | 8,346 | $116K | 6.6% | 13.8% | 11% | B+ |
| 1,061 | Turkey Creek Township IN | 8,658 | $76K | 8.0% | 1.0% | 17% | B+ |
| 1,062 | Columbia Township MI | 7,515 | $86K | 7.5% | 1.1% | 10% | B+ |
| 1,063 | North Sewickley Township PA | 5,441 | $77K | 2.9% | 4.0% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,064 | St. Joseph Township IL | 5,436 | $116K | 5.5% | 5.2% | 8% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,027 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Columbia Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
The towns around Columbia Township
The biggest share goes to Napoleon Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Columbia Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Township | – | B+ | C | 38 min | $85,767 |
| Norvell Township | under 2% | A− | D− | 32 min | $99,107 |
| Napoleon Township | 2% | B+ | B− | 28 min | $73,793 |
| Liberty Township | under 2% | B | D | 23 min | $102,969 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Columbia 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 Columbia Township: questions
What is the median household income in Columbia Township?
$85,767 (±$8,737) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Columbia Township?
7.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Columbia Township?
38 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Columbia Township work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Jackson (18%, 12 mi), Blackman Township (8%, 16 mi), Summit Township (6%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Columbia Township walkable?
Columbia Township is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.9 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Columbia Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Columbia Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Columbia 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.