Most of Foster Township commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident
42 jobs are based in Foster Township, against 270 working residents. Only 2% work in Foster Township; the top destination outside it is West Branch (19%, 11 miles). The trip to work takes 32 minutes on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Foster Township, in a few figures
Foster Township is a place people come home to
There are 42 jobs based in Foster Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Foster Township has about 570 people in it, 29% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
44% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Foster Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 61 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; with 270 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Foster Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 265 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 37 people come in from elsewhere.
About 570 people are in Foster Township on a workday afternoon, 29% 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.
How far it is to work from Foster Township
About 44% 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.
From Foster Township, about 32 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Foster Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 229 commuters (the 8% 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.
The towns that employ Foster Township’s residents
Where Foster Township clocks in
Lines 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Foster Township, 2011 → 2021: 15 → 42. 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 Foster Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Next door to Foster Township
The biggest share goes to Rose Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Foster Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Township | – | — | — | 32 min | $55,385 |
| Rose Township | 3% | D | C− | 27 min | $55,491 |
| Klacking Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Richfield Township | under 2% | D− | C+ | 29 min | $47,055 |
| Ogemaw Township | 3% | B− | C+ | 23 min | $76,346 |
| Au Sable Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Big Creek Township | under 2% | D− | C | 32 min | $48,438 |
Same-state neighbors only. Klacking Township and Au Sable Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Foster 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 Foster Township: questions
What is the median household income in Foster Township?
$55,385 (±$9,900) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Foster Township?
8.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Foster Township?
32 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Foster Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are West Branch (19%, 11 mi), West Branch Township (11%, 11 mi), Rose City (3%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Foster Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Foster Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Foster 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.