Jobs and earnings in Freeland, and the trip to work
The average commute takes 19 minutes each way; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26. Only 6% stay in Freeland for work; outside it, Midland is the main destination (15%, 10 miles). Employers in Freeland report 1,990 jobs, and 2,844 of its residents work somewhere.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Freeland, in a few figures
Time on the road from Freeland: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Freeland workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,524 commuters (the 18% 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 Freeland on a workday
On a workday 2,663 residents head out to work, 181 work right here, and 1,809 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,700 people are in Freeland on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.70 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
The places Freeland commutes to
Where Freeland clocks in
15% of workers
14% of workers
10% 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.
The kinds of work in Freeland
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Freeland, 2011 → 2021: 1,590 → 1,990. 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 Freeland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Freeland goes to work
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.
Freeland and its neighbors
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Freeland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeland | – | — | — | 19 min | $110,547 |
| Ingersoll Township | under 2% | A− | C− | 29 min | $99,063 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Freeland’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 Freeland: questions
What is the median household income in Freeland?
$110,547 (±$17,187) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Freeland?
5.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Freeland?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Freeland work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Midland (15%, 10 mi), Saginaw (14%, 11 mi), Saginaw Township (10%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Freeland without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Freeland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Freeland
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.