Minneapolis Shoal Light Station · Photo: US Coast Guard · Public domainFord River Township has 0.1 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Only 1% work in Ford River Township itself; outside it, Escanaba draws the most (34%, 9 miles). Employers in Ford River Township report 85 jobs, and 718 of its residents work somewhere. The two grades for Ford River Township are C for jobs and income and D− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Ford River Township
Much of Ford River Township works one town over
47% of working residents work in a town that borders Ford River Township: Escanaba (34%), Wells Township (8%) and Bark River Township (5%). Next door ↓
Ford River Township is a place people come home to
There are 85 jobs based in Ford River Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Ford River Township has about 1,400 people in it, 31% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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; with 718 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The four measures behind Ford River Township’s grade
On income, poverty and job access, Ford River Township is better than 31% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Ford River Township’s grade up (7.9%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 8% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (5.8%) is left out: Ford River Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
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 and poverty, Ford River Township could be anywhere from D to B.
Who leaves Ford River Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 708 residents head out to work, 10 work right here, and 75 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in Ford River Township 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.
Out of Ford River Township to work: where people go
Where Ford River Township clocks in
34% 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.
In Ford River Township, 65% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ford River Township, 2011 → 2021: 98 → 85. 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 Ford River Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 21 minutes in Ford River Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ford River Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 639 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.
How far it is to work from Ford River Township
About 23% 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.
The commute in Ford River Township is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ford River Township is more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Ford River 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 703 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). 3.2% of Ford River Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Ford River Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Ford River Township is 3,310th among 5,509 U.S. towns of 1,400 to 2,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 100 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 137 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 213 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,308 | Pink OK | 2,200 | $72K | 14.4% | 5.1% | 1% | C |
| 3,309 | Beaver Township IN | 1,537 | $71K | 8.5% | 4.1% | 6% | C |
| 3,310 | Ford River Township MI | 2,014 | $70K | 7.9% | 5.8% | 1% | C |
| 3,311 | Wells Township MI | 1,585 | $72K | 8.6% | 5.2% | 1% | C |
| 3,312 | Hillsdale NY | 1,811 | $77K | 9.8% | 3.8% | 11% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 5,509 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Ford River Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door is work for 47% of Ford River Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ford River Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford River Township | – | C | D− | 21 min | $69,878 |
| Escanaba | 34% | D | A− | 11 min | $45,369 |
| Bark River Township | 5% | C | C− | 22 min | $69,375 |
| Wells Township | 8% | C+ | D | 15 min | $72,039 |
| Gourley Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Cedarville Township | under 2% | — | — | 34 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Gourley Township and Cedarville Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Escanaba. Darker towns draw more of Ford River 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 Ford River Township: questions
What is the median household income in Ford River Township?
$69,878 (±$21,642) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ford River Township?
7.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ford River Township?
21 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ford River Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Escanaba (34%, 9 mi), Harris Township (9%, 13 mi), Wells Township (8%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Ford River Township walkable?
Ford River Township is more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 4.4 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ford River Township without a car?
0% 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 Ford River Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ford River 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.