Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Farmington have higher incomes than those in 75% of U.S. towns
4.8% of residents live below the poverty line, against 13.2% across Michigan. The two grades for Farmington are A for jobs and income and A− for walkability. 26% of workers have no commute at all, where Michigan as a whole has 14%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Farmington: the gist
Farmington trades workers with the towns around it
Farmington has about as many jobs (4,295) as working residents (5,024), but they are mostly different people: 4,820 residents leave for work each day while 4,091 people come in. Only 5% of the jobs in Farmington are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Farmington than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Farmington fell from 7,411 in 2011 to 4,295 in 2021, −42%. 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 ↓
A lot of Farmington works from home
26% of Farmington workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Farmington
70% of Farmington residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 52% of the jobs based in Farmington pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 96% leave town for their job. 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.
Why Farmington gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Farmington is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #76 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
The commuting and job counts on this page are Census LEHD 2021: Michigan reports later than other states, so its newest year is three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Farmington could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Who works in Farmington, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 4,820 residents head out to work, 204 work right here, and 4,091 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.85 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
Health, schools and offices: most of the jobs in Farmington
4,295 jobs are based in Farmington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Farmington, 2011 → 2021: 7,411 → 4,295. 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 Farmington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Farmington: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Farmington workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,459 commuters (the 25% 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.
11% of working residents work in Farmington Hills
Where Farmington clocks in
11% of workers
9% 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 many miles Farmington commutes
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Farmington
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Farmington is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns, #84 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Farmington 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 5,984 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 under 0.1 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). 4.9% of Farmington households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Farmington’s commuters take a bus or train.
471st of 2,507: where Farmington ranks among U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 469 | Greendale WI | 14,426 | $95K | 8.4% | 2.1% | 6% | A |
| 470 | Waterloo IL | 11,132 | $99K | 5.9% | 2.3% | 15% | A |
| 471 | Farmington MI | 11,409 | $98K | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4% | A |
| 472 | Manteno Township IL | 11,202 | $92K | 4.6% | 2.4% | 14% | A |
| 473 | North Greenbush NY | 13,523 | $117K | 5.1% | 3.4% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 19% | 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 Farmington, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
11% of Farmington works in a bordering town
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Farmington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington | – | A | A− | 23 min | $97,750 |
| Farmington Hills | 11% | A− | B− | 25 min | $104,836 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Farmington Hills. Darker towns draw more of Farmington’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 Farmington: questions
What is the median household income in Farmington?
$97,750 (±$4,716) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Farmington?
4.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Farmington?
23 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Farmington work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Farmington Hills (11%, 2 mi), Detroit (10%, 15 mi), Southfield (9%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Farmington walkable?
Farmington is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.3 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Farmington without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Farmington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Farmington
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.