At 2.4%, unemployment in Gaines Township is lower than in 79% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Gaines Township are A− for jobs and income and B for walkability. Only 6% stay in Gaines Township for work; outside it, Grand Rapids is the main destination (20%, 11 miles). Commuters spend 21 minutes getting to work on average; the Michigan average is 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Gaines Township in brief
Jobs in Gaines Township have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Gaines Township went from 4,076 in 2011 to 8,531 in 2021, +109%. The jobs ↓
Gaines Township and Grand Rapids trade workers both ways
Grand Rapids is the top workplace for Gaines Township residents (20%) and also where the most people who work in Gaines Township come from (15% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
46% of the jobs in Gaines Township are in trade, transport and utilities, against 21% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Most Gaines Township residents work close to home
62% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
Young people hold many of the jobs here
35% of the jobs based in Gaines Township are held by workers 29 or younger, against 26% of Gaines Township’s own working residents. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Income, poverty and work: Gaines Township’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Gaines Township is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #131 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 86% of U.S. towns); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($82,738, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
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 fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Gaines Township could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Inside Gaines Township’s 8,531 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gaines Township, 2011 → 2021: 4,076 → 8,531. 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 Gaines Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that employ Gaines Township’s residents
Where Gaines Township clocks in
11% 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 Gaines Township
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.
Gaines Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 11,892 residents head out to work, 706 work right here, and 7,825 people come in from elsewhere.
About 27,000 people are in Gaines Township on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
0.68 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.
From Gaines Township, about 21 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gaines Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,617 commuters (the 12% 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.
Gaines Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Gaines Township is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns, #220 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Gaines 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 15,405 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 19% 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 2.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 73% 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). 2.1% of Gaines Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Gaines Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Gaines Township is 452nd of 1,415 U.S. towns of 21,000 to 41,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Northville Township MI | 31,399 | $151K | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 127 | Lyon Township MI | 26,867 | $146K | 4.8% | 3.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 144 | Independence Township MI | 37,725 | $115K | 4.3% | 2.9% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 450 | Burlingame CA | 31,929 | $174K | 7.1% | 5.7% | 10% | A− |
| 451 | Watertown MA | 35,710 | $126K | 7.5% | 5.3% | 8% | A− |
| 452 | Gaines Township MI | 30,659 | $83K | 7.9% | 2.4% | 6% | A− |
| 453 | O'Fallon Township IL | 26,976 | $100K | 7.4% | 3.5% | 12% | A− |
| 454 | Paris Township OH | 32,021 | $92K | 6.6% | 2.9% | 18% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,415 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Gaines Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door is work for 19% of Gaines Township
The biggest share goes to Kentwood (11%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gaines Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaines Township | – | A− | B | 21 min | $82,738 |
| Byron Township | 5% | A− | B+ | 21 min | $91,481 |
| Kentwood | 11% | B | A− | 20 min | $74,373 |
| Leighton Township | under 2% | A+ | C− | 25 min | $103,888 |
| Caledonia Township | 3% | A | C | 23 min | $111,365 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gaines 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 Gaines Township: questions
What is the median household income in Gaines Township?
$82,738 (±$6,919) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gaines Township?
7.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gaines Township?
21 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gaines Township work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grand Rapids (20%, 11 mi), Kentwood (11%, 6 mi), Wyoming (10%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Gaines Township walkable?
Gaines Township is more walkable than 55% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Gaines Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gaines Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gaines 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.