Photo: Jordano53 · CC BY-SA 4.0Most of Independence Township commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
There are 7,244 jobs in Independence Township, and 15,885 of its residents work somewhere. The two grades for Independence Township are A for jobs and income and C for walkability. Household incomes here are higher than in 86% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Independence Township
The better-paid jobs are outside Independence Township
65% of Independence Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 44% of the jobs based in Independence Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 92% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Independence 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Independence Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Independence Township is better than 94% of U.S. towns, #38 of 701 in Michigan. All four inputs sit close together, so no single one decides Independence Township’s grade. It also does well on the poverty rate 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 fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Independence Township could be anywhere from A to A+.
The kinds of work in Independence Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Independence Township, 2011 → 2021: 7,509 → 7,244. 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 Independence Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 29 minutes in Independence Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Independence Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 15,119 commuters (the 18% 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 daily commute in and out of Independence Township
On a workday 14,587 residents head out to work, 1,298 work right here, and 5,946 people come in from elsewhere.
About 29,000 people are in Independence Township on a workday afternoon, 23% 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.
9% of working residents work in Auburn Hills
Where Independence Township clocks in
9% 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.
Independence Township’s 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.
The commute in Independence Township is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Independence Township is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns, #421 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.2% 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 18,480 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 2.0% of Independence Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Independence Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Independence Township is 119th among 1,196 U.S. towns of 26,000 to 51,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Northville Township MI | 31,399 | $151K | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 96 | Bloomfield Township MI | 43,904 | $163K | 4.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 101 | Lyon Township MI | 26,867 | $146K | 4.8% | 3.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 117 | Natick MA | 36,969 | $139K | 5.8% | 3.2% | 14% | A |
| 118 | Edwardsville IL | 26,463 | $87K | 11.6% | 4.6% | 17% | A |
| 119 | Independence Township MI | 37,725 | $115K | 4.3% | 2.9% | 8% | A |
| 120 | North Bethesda MD | 49,677 | $129K | 5.2% | 3.6% | 9% | A |
| 121 | Moraine Township IL | 34,725 | $154K | 6.0% | 3.5% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,196 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Independence Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work next door: 18% of Independence Township’s workers
The biggest share goes to Auburn Hills (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Independence Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence Township | – | A | C | 29 min | $114,699 |
| Waterford Township | 6% | B | C+ | 27 min | $77,101 |
| Springfield Township | under 3% | A− | D | 31 min | $110,101 |
| Orion Township | 3% | A | C+ | 26 min | $118,801 |
| Brandon Township | under 3% | A− | C | 33 min | $93,523 |
| Auburn Hills | 9% | B | B | 22 min | $84,375 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Independence 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 Independence Township: questions
What is the median household income in Independence Township?
$114,699 (±$6,973) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Independence Township?
4.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Independence Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 18% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Independence Township work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Auburn Hills (9%, 9 mi), Troy (7%, 17 mi), Waterford Township (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Independence Township walkable?
Independence Township is more walkable than 28% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Independence Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Independence Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Independence 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.