With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Forest Township works elsewhere
A typical one-way commute lasts 26 minutes, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26. There are 143 jobs in Forest Township for 341 working residents. Only 1% work in Forest Township; the top destination outside it is Petoskey (6%, 32 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Forest Township apart
Where in the region Forest Township works
About 31% 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.
A workday in Forest Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 336 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 138 people come in from elsewhere.
About 780 people are in Forest Township on a workday afternoon, 20% 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.
Commuting out of Forest Township: the destinations
Where Forest Township clocks in
6% 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.
Goods, not services: 51% of the jobs in Forest Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Forest Township, 2011 → 2021: 40 → 143. 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 Forest Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Forest Township: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Forest Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 349 commuters (the 10% 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.
Forest Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Walker Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Forest Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Township | – | — | — | 26 min | $57,292 |
| Allis Township | 3% | — | — | 33 min | — |
| Waverly Township | under 3% | — | — | 22 min | — |
| Nunda Township | under 3% | D | C− | 37 min | $58,707 |
| Walker Township | 4% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Montmorency Township | under 3% | C | C− | 29 min | $67,614 |
Same-state neighbors only. Allis Township, Waverly Township and Walker Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Forest 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 Forest Township: questions
What is the median household income in Forest Township?
$57,292 (±$14,654) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Forest Township?
23.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Forest Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Forest Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Petoskey (6%, 32 mi), Tuscarora Township (5%, 18 mi), Mentor Township (5%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Forest 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 Forest Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Forest 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.