Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Elberta works elsewhere
7% of workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Elberta has 19 jobs; 118 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Elberta; the top destination outside it is Benzonia Township (15%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who commutes out of Elberta, and who commutes in
On a workday 117 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 18 people come in from elsewhere.
About 220 people are in Elberta on a workday afternoon, 31% fewer than live here.
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 places Elberta commutes to
Where Elberta clocks in
15% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 32% of the jobs in Elberta
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Elberta, 2011 → 2021: 33 → 19. 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 Elberta’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 13 minutes from Elberta
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 4.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Elberta workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 69 commuters (the 7% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Elberta
About 25% 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.
Work in the towns next to Elberta
The biggest share goes to Frankfort (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Elberta workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elberta | – | — | — | 13 min | $114,375 |
| Gilmore Township | 3% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Frankfort | 6% | D | A | 19 min | $54,327 |
| Crystal Lake Township | under 3% | C− | B− | 19 min | $69,913 |
Same-state neighbors only. Gilmore Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Elberta’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 Elberta: questions
What is the median household income in Elberta?
$114,375 (±$42,952) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Elberta?
0.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Elberta?
13 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Elberta work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Benzonia Township (15%, 6 mi), Traverse City (8%, 32 mi), Joyfield Township (7%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Elberta without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Elberta, from the people who make the trip.
More of Elberta
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.