Thompson Road-Air Line Railroad Bridge · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Howard Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each
There are 449 jobs in Howard Township, and 2,593 of its residents work somewhere. The two grades for Howard Township are B+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Only 3% work in Howard Township; the top destination outside it is Niles (11%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Howard Township, in brief
Many Howard Township workers cross into Indiana
41% of Howard Township workers work outside Michigan, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, South Bend (11%), Mishawaka (7%) and Elkhart (6%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Howard Township is a place people come home to
There are 449 jobs based in Howard Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Howard Township has about 4,100 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Howard Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Howard Township is better than 69% of U.S. towns, #237 of 701 in Michigan. The poverty rate is its strongest input (5.7%, U.S. 12.5%); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($79,226, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Howard Township could be anywhere from C+ to A.
Where people from Howard Township work
Where Howard Township clocks in
11% of workers
11% of workers
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.
In and out of Howard Township on a workday
On a workday 2,505 residents head out to work, 88 work right here, and 361 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,100 people are in Howard Township on a workday afternoon, 34% 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.
28% of the jobs in Howard Township make or build things
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Howard Township, 2011 → 2021: 372 → 449. 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 Howard Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Howard Township: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Howard Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,470 commuters (the 10% 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 Howard Township
About 22% 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.
Most trips from Howard Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Howard Township is more walkable than 19% of U.S. towns, #508 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 2.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 3.8.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,747 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). 3.5% of Howard Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Howard Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Howard Township next to U.S. towns of 4,400 to 8,400: 1,162nd of 3,297 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 | Norwood NJ | 5,817 | $178K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 47 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 110 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,160 | Jenkintown PA | 4,785 | $111K | 9.7% | 6.7% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,161 | Saukville WI | 4,554 | $80K | 8.5% | 3.7% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,162 | Howard Township MI | 6,255 | $79K | 5.7% | 3.7% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,163 | Middlefield Township OH | 4,498 | $74K | 8.8% | 1.0% | 11% | B+ |
| 1,164 | Carlisle Township OH | 7,131 | $87K | 5.8% | 5.7% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,297 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Howard Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work next door: 17% of Howard Township’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Howard Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Township | – | B+ | C− | 26 min | $79,226 |
| Niles | 11% | C− | B+ | 23 min | $51,376 |
| Jefferson Township | under 2% | B | D | 25 min | $72,375 |
| Milton Township | under 2% | A | D | 21 min | $118,750 |
| Pokagon Township | under 2% | B− | B− | 23 min | $72,022 |
| Niles Township | 6% | C+ | C− | 23 min | $63,459 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Niles. Darker towns draw more of Howard 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 Howard Township: questions
What is the median household income in Howard Township?
$79,226 (±$10,086) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Howard Township?
5.7%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Howard Township?
26 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Howard Township work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Niles (11%, 4 mi), South Bend (11%, 13 mi), Mishawaka (7%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Howard Township walkable?
Howard Township is more walkable than 19% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 3.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Howard Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Howard Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Howard 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.