Flat Rock has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
The two grades for Flat Rock are B− for jobs and income and B for walkability. Employers in Flat Rock report 1,739 jobs, and 4,465 of its residents work somewhere. Only 5% stay in Flat Rock for work; outside it, Detroit is the main destination (9%, 22 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Flat Rock and work: the main findings
Fewer jobs are based in Flat Rock than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Flat Rock fell from 4,779 in 2011 to 1,739 in 2021, −64%. 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 ↓
Flat Rock workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Flat Rock
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Flat Rock is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #387 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Flat Rock’s grade up (ahead of 84% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (7.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Flat Rock could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
The kinds of work in Flat Rock
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Flat Rock, 2011 → 2021: 4,779 → 1,739. 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 Flat Rock’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 29 minutes in Flat Rock
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Flat Rock workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,529 commuters (the 9% 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.
In and out of Flat Rock on a workday
On a workday 4,251 residents head out to work, 214 work right here, and 1,525 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,500 people are in Flat Rock on a workday afternoon, 27% 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.
Where the trip to work from Flat Rock ends
Where Flat Rock clocks in
7% of workers
4% 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 far it is to work from Flat Rock
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.
Driving is how Flat Rock gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Flat Rock is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #208 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.8% across Michigan.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,981 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). 4.6% of Flat Rock households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Flat Rock’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Flat Rock is 1,637th of 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Jamestown Township MI | 10,702 | $120K | 2.8% | 1.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,635 | Forestbrook SC | 7,479 | $81K | 6.8% | 7.1% | 1% | B− |
| 1,636 | Carroll IA | 10,085 | $70K | 8.9% | 2.5% | 45% | B− |
| 1,637 | Flat Rock MI | 10,218 | $82K | 10.3% | 7.3% | 5% | B− |
| 1,638 | West Carrollton OH | 12,963 | $62K | 16.0% | 3.1% | 5% | B− |
| 1,639 | Griswold CT | 11,690 | $79K | 7.6% | 5.4% | 8% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | 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 Flat Rock, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
The towns around Flat Rock
The biggest share goes to Brownstown Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Flat Rock workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Rock | – | B− | B | 29 min | $81,585 |
| Berlin Township | under 3% | B+ | D | 29 min | $85,077 |
| Rockwood | under 3% | A− | C− | 29 min | $88,080 |
| South Rockwood | under 3% | B | D | 27 min | $78,203 |
| Brownstown Township | 4% | B+ | C+ | 25 min | $95,402 |
| Woodhaven | 3% | B− | C+ | 24 min | $78,648 |
| Huron Township | under 3% | B+ | C− | 29 min | $92,832 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Flat Rock’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 Flat Rock: questions
What is the median household income in Flat Rock?
$81,585 (±$9,827) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Flat Rock?
10.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Flat Rock?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Flat Rock work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (9%, 22 mi), Dearborn (7%, 15 mi), Taylor (4%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Flat Rock walkable?
Flat Rock is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Flat Rock 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 Flat Rock, from the people who make the trip.
More of Flat Rock
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.