Photo: Clerk8751 · CC BY 4.0With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Helena Township works elsewhere
A typical one-way commute lasts 27 minutes, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26. Employers in Helena Township report 150 jobs, against 332 working residents. Only 5% work in Helena Township; the top destination outside it is Kearney Township (11%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who leaves Helena Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 315 residents head out to work, 17 work right here, and 133 people come in from elsewhere.
About 800 people are in Helena Township on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
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 Helena Township: the destinations
Where Helena Township clocks in
6% 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 Helena Township’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Helena Township, 2011 → 2021: 50 → 150. 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 Helena Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 27 minutes from Helena Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Helena Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 448 commuters (the 17% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Helena Township
About 27% 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.
Helena Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Forest Home Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Helena Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helena Township | – | — | — | 27 min | $72,228 |
| Forest Home Township | 2% | C | B+ | 22 min | $81,111 |
| Milton Township | under 2% | B− | C | 26 min | $88,971 |
| Custer Township | under 2% | C | C− | 26 min | $83,750 |
| Clearwater Township | under 2% | C+ | C− | 32 min | $74,663 |
| Rapid City | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Rapid City: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Helena 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 Helena Township: questions
What is the median household income in Helena Township?
$72,228 (±$13,571) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Helena Township?
4.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Helena Township?
27 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Helena Township work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Kearney Township (11%, 9 mi), Kalkaska Township (10%, 11 mi), Traverse City (6%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Helena Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Helena Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Helena 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.