Household incomes in Gladwin are lower than in 94% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 17.4% of residents, against 13.2% across Michigan. Gladwin grades D− for jobs and income and B for walkability. About one in four work in Gladwin; the top destination outside it is Midland (9%, 28 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Gladwin at work: what stands out
Gladwin is where the jobs are
Gladwin has 2,155 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Gladwin’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Gladwin is Midland, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (87) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
The quickest commute around
Gladwin’s 20-minute average trip is shorter than in any town next door, where it runs from 25 to 37 minutes. Next door ↓
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 975 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Jobs & income in Gladwin: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Gladwin is better than 4% of U.S. towns, #692 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Gladwin’s grade.
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, Gladwin could be anywhere from D− to C.
In and out of Gladwin on a workday
On a workday 729 residents head out to work, 246 work right here, and 1,909 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,300 people are in Gladwin on a workday afternoon, 38% more than live here.
2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Gladwin’s commute, mile by mile
About 29% 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 towns that send workers to Gladwin
Where Gladwin clocks in
9% of workers
3% 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.
What the 2,155 jobs in Gladwin are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gladwin, 2011 → 2021: 1,813 → 2,155. 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 Gladwin’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Gladwin: about 20 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gladwin workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 912 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 Gladwin, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Gladwin is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns, #177 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.8% across Michigan.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,109 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). 15.6% of Gladwin households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Gladwin’s commuters take a bus or train.
Gladwin next to U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 136 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 226 | Heath Township MI | 4,017 | $105K | 1.3% | 0.9% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,355 | Luverne AL | 2,690 | $43K | 25.1% | 6.3% | 22% | D− |
| 4,356 | Morgantown KY | 2,512 | $38K | 37.3% | 12.9% | 29% | D− |
| 4,357 | Gladwin MI | 3,140 | $43K | 17.4% | 9.5% | 25% | D− |
| 4,358 | Tazewell TN | 2,363 | $42K | 33.1% | 6.9% | 17% | D− |
| 4,359 | Seymour TX | 2,574 | $40K | 28.2% | 5.2% | 34% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,562 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Gladwin, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Gladwin and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Gladwin Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gladwin workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladwin | – | D− | B | 20 min | $43,005 |
| Grout Township | under 2% | D | C+ | 29 min | $74,688 |
| Buckeye Township | under 2% | D− | D− | 37 min | $52,708 |
| Gladwin Township | 2% | D | B− | 29 min | $58,906 |
| Sage Township | 2% | D | D | 25 min | $57,424 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Gladwin’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 Gladwin: questions
What is the median household income in Gladwin?
$43,005 (±$14,045) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gladwin?
17.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gladwin?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gladwin work?
25% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Midland (9%, 28 mi), Mount Pleasant (3%, 30 mi), Beaverton (2%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Gladwin walkable?
Gladwin is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Gladwin without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gladwin, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gladwin
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.