Jobs, pay and the trip to work in Indian River
There are 697 jobs in Indian River; 627 of its residents have a job. About one in ten stay in Indian River for work; outside it, Petoskey is the main destination (8%, 17 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 33 minutes, next to 24 for Michigan and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Indian River, in a few figures
A big share show a job far from home
38% 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 ↓
Indian River workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in Indian River pay little
29% of the jobs based in Indian River pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 33% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. 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; with 627 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Indian River’s commute, mile by mile
About 38% 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.
About 33 minutes each way for Indian River’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Indian River workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 722 commuters (the 12% 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 Indian River’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Indian River, 2011 → 2021: 150 → 697. 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 Indian River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Indian River on a workday afternoon
On a workday 562 residents head out to work, 65 work right here, and 632 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.11 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
The places Indian River commutes to
Where Indian River clocks in
8% 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.
Next door to Indian River
The biggest share goes to Mentor Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Indian River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian River | – | — | — | 33 min | $62,140 |
| Koehler Township | under 2% | C− | C− | 33 min | $61,859 |
| Burt Township | under 2% | — | — | 28 min | — |
| Ellis Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Mentor Township | 4% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Mullett Township | under 2% | B− | C | 33 min | $82,500 |
Same-state neighbors only. Burt Township, Ellis Township and Mentor Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Indian River’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 Indian River: questions
What is the median household income in Indian River?
$62,140 (±$27,738) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Indian River?
10.6%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Indian River?
33 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Indian River work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Petoskey (8%, 17 mi), Tuscarora Township (8%, 1 mi), Bear Creek Township (5%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Indian River 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 Indian River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Indian River
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.