Household incomes in Hamilton Township trail those of 93% of U.S. towns
32.0% of residents live below the poverty line (Michigan 13.2%). The two grades for Hamilton Township are D− for jobs and income and D for walkability. Hardly any work in Hamilton Township; the top destination outside it is Clare (9%, 15 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Hamilton Township and work: the main findings
Hamilton Township is a place people come home to
There are 20 jobs based in Hamilton Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Hamilton Township has about 1,300 people in it, 27% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
33% 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 ↓
Hamilton Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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 511 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where Hamilton Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty and job access, Hamilton Township is near the bottom of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Hamilton Township’s grade.
Unemployment (21.9%) is left out: Hamilton Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
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 and poverty, Hamilton Township could be anywhere from D− to D.
How a workday changes Hamilton Township
On a workday 509 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 18 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,300 people are in Hamilton Township on a workday afternoon, 27% fewer than live here.
0.04 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.
How many miles Hamilton Township commutes
About 33% 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.
Time on the road from Hamilton Township: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hamilton Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 355 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.
The places Hamilton Township commutes to
Where Hamilton Township clocks in
7% 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.
Factories, building and farms: 55% of the jobs in Hamilton Township
20 jobs are based in Hamilton Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hamilton Township, 2011 → 2021: 8 → 20. 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 Hamilton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Hamilton Township, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Hamilton Township is more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 1.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 2.9.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 388 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). 3.1% of Hamilton Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Hamilton Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Hamilton Township sits among U.S. towns of 1,300 to 2,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 99 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 203 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 244 | Sylvan Lake MI | 1,685 | $106K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,227 | Newberry MI | 1,397 | $46K | 29.7% | 10.8% | 25% | D− |
| 5,228 | Appleton MN | 1,361 | $44K | 28.3% | 6.3% | 30% | D− |
| 5,229 | Hamilton Township MI | 1,814 | $45K | 32.0% | 21.9% | <1% | D− |
| 5,230 | Clearlake Oaks CA | 2,198 | $36K | 21.4% | 18.0% | 6% | D− |
| 5,231 | Greensboro AL | 2,195 | $27K | 42.1% | 5.8% | 17% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,343 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Hamilton Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
The towns around Hamilton Township
The biggest share goes to Hayes Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hamilton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Township | – | D− | D | 29 min | $45,096 |
| Sage Township | under 3% | D | D | 25 min | $57,424 |
| Arthur Township | under 3% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Hayes Township | 3% | D− | D | 39 min | $40,250 |
| Franklin Township | under 3% | — | — | 39 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Arthur Township and Franklin Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hamilton 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 Hamilton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Hamilton Township?
$45,096 (±$11,813) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hamilton Township?
32.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hamilton Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hamilton Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Clare (9%, 15 mi), Midland (7%, 36 mi), Harrison (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Hamilton Township walkable?
Hamilton Township is more walkable than 13% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 2.9 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hamilton Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hamilton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hamilton 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.