Households in Grosse Pointe Woods have higher incomes than those in 90% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Grosse Pointe Woods is better than 84% of U.S. towns (A−); for walkability it is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (B). The poverty rate is 4.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan. 27% of workers have no commute at all, against 14% across Michigan.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Grosse Pointe Woods apart on work
A lot of Grosse Pointe Woods works from home
27% of Grosse Pointe Woods workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Grosse Pointe Woods
70% of Grosse Pointe Woods residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 43% of the jobs based in Grosse Pointe Woods pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Grosse Pointe Woods than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Grosse Pointe Woods fell from 4,647 in 2011 to 3,219 in 2021, −31%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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 Grosse Pointe Woods’ Jobs & income grade
Job access by car holds Grosse Pointe Woods’ grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
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, Grosse Pointe Woods could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
How long Grosse Pointe Woods spends getting to work: about 24 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 Grosse Pointe Woods workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,808 commuters (the 27% 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.
What Grosse Pointe Woods’ employers do
3,219 jobs are based in Grosse Pointe Woods.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Grosse Pointe Woods, 2011 → 2021: 4,647 → 3,219. 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 Grosse Pointe Woods’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Grosse Pointe Woods
On a workday 6,726 residents head out to work, 413 work right here, and 2,806 people come in from elsewhere.
About 12,000 people are in Grosse Pointe Woods on a workday afternoon, 25% fewer than live here.
0.45 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.
23% of working residents work in Detroit
Where Grosse Pointe Woods clocks in
7% of workers
5% 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.
Grosse Pointe Woods’ commute, mile by mile
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.
In Grosse Pointe Woods, most people drive to work
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.2% 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 7,952 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 11% 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 1.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 60% 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). 3.1% of Grosse Pointe Woods households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Grosse Pointe Woods’ commuters take a bus or train.
580th of 2,109: where Grosse Pointe Woods ranks among U.S. towns of 11,000 to 21,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Southfield Township MI | 14,671 | $185K | 4.7% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 76 | Berkley MI | 15,145 | $116K | 4.5% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 578 | Highlands NY | 12,678 | $116K | 4.5% | 4.2% | 15% | A− |
| 579 | Castaic CA | 17,999 | $130K | 5.1% | 4.4% | 3% | A− |
| 580 | Grosse Pointe Woods MI | 15,792 | $126K | 4.9% | 5.8% | 6% | A− |
| 581 | Rockland MA | 17,949 | $112K | 6.5% | 4.4% | 9% | A− |
| 582 | Cary IL | 17,932 | $113K | 4.8% | 5.0% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,109 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Grosse Pointe Woods, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Bordering towns draw 23% of Grosse Pointe Woods’ workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Grosse Pointe Woods workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grosse Pointe Woods | – | A− | B | 24 min | $126,395 |
| Harper Woods | under 3% | C+ | B+ | 26 min | $65,022 |
| Detroit | 23% | C− | A+ | 25 min | $39,938 |
| Village of Grosse Pointe Shores | under 3% | A+ | B− | 23 min | $189,583 |
| Grosse Pointe Farms | under 3% | A+ | A− | 24 min | $161,208 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Detroit. Darker towns draw more of Grosse Pointe Woods’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 Grosse Pointe Woods: questions
What is the median household income in Grosse Pointe Woods?
$126,395 (±$9,307) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Grosse Pointe Woods?
4.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Grosse Pointe Woods?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 27% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Grosse Pointe Woods work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (23%, 11 mi), Warren (7%, 7 mi), Troy (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Grosse Pointe Woods walkable?
Grosse Pointe Woods is more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 9.3 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Grosse Pointe Woods without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Grosse Pointe Woods, from the people who make the trip.
More of Grosse Pointe Woods
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.