Hartwick, Edward E., Memorial Building · Public domainUnemployment in Grayling Township (7.4%) is higher than in 85% of U.S. towns
The average commute, 25 minutes each way, matches the Michigan norm. For jobs and income Grayling Township is better than 15% of U.S. towns (D); for walkability it is more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns (B−). About one in seven stay in Grayling Township for work; outside it, Grayling is the main destination (20%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Grayling Township apart on work
A big share show a job far from home
37% 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 ↓
Fewer than half of Grayling Township workers earn over $40,000 a year
44% of Grayling Township’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 19% earn $1,250 a month or less. 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.
Inside Grayling Township’s Jobs & income grade
The poverty rate holds Grayling Township’s grade up (11.8%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 7% of U.S. towns).
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, Grayling Township could be anywhere from D to C.
How far it is to work from Grayling Township
About 37% 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.
31% of the jobs in Grayling Township make or build things
1,300 jobs are based in Grayling Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Grayling Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,339 → 1,300. 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 Grayling Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Grayling Township on a workday
On a workday 1,563 residents head out to work, 248 work right here, and 1,052 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
0.72 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.
Commuting out of Grayling Township: the destinations
Where Grayling 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.
Getting to work from Grayling Township takes about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Grayling Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,024 commuters (the 9% 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.
Driving is how Grayling Township gets around
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,233 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). 7.4% of Grayling Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Grayling Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 4,100 to 8,000, Grayling Township ranks 3,095th of 3,494 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 117 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,093 | Litchfield IL | 6,598 | $54K | 16.3% | 6.4% | 27% | D |
| 3,094 | Trenton MO | 5,557 | $50K | 18.1% | 4.1% | 36% | D |
| 3,095 | Grayling Township MI | 5,892 | $65K | 11.8% | 7.4% | 14% | D |
| 3,096 | Hawkinsville GA | 4,789 | $40K | 22.3% | 3.1% | 12% | D |
| 3,097 | Jackson GA | 5,884 | $46K | 19.4% | 5.7% | 13% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 3,494 | Medina TX | 4,226 | $22K | 53.8% | 10.1% | 4% | 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 Grayling Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
How Grayling Township compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Beaver Creek Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Grayling Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grayling Township | – | D | B− | 25 min | $65,127 |
| Lovells Township | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| South Branch Township | under 2% | D | C+ | 21 min | $52,292 |
| Frederic Township | 1% | C− | B | 37 min | $65,333 |
| Maple Forest Township | under 2% | — | — | 38 min | — |
| Bear Lake Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Beaver Creek Township | 4% | D | D | 24 min | $61,121 |
Same-state neighbors only. Lovells Township, Maple Forest Township and Bear Lake Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Grayling 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 Grayling Township: questions
What is the median household income in Grayling Township?
$65,127 (±$6,519) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Grayling Township?
11.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Grayling Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Grayling Township work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grayling (20%, 4 mi), Beaver Creek Township (4%, 9 mi), Gaylord (4%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Grayling Township walkable?
Grayling Township is more walkable than 51% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Grayling Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Grayling Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Grayling 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.