Ithaca Downtown Historic District · Photo: H. G. Zimmerman & Co · Public domainAt 1.3%, unemployment in Ithaca is lower than in 92% of U.S. towns
About one in five stay in Ithaca for work; outside it, Alma is the main destination (10%, 7 miles). The two grades for Ithaca are C+ for jobs and income and A− for walkability. Working from home is the commute for 1% of workers (Michigan 14%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Ithaca apart on work
Ithaca is the work center of its corner
Every town that borders Ithaca (North Star Township, Emerson Township, Newark Township and Arcada Township) has fewer jobs than working residents, while Ithaca has 1.6 per resident. Next door ↓
Few Ithaca workers work from home
Only 1% of workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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 Ithaca
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ithaca is better than 44% of U.S. towns, #442 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Ithaca’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (16.8%, U.S. 12.5%).
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, Ithaca could be anywhere from C to B.
The daily trip from Ithaca: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ithaca workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,576 commuters (the 1% 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.
Who works in Ithaca, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 867 residents head out to work, 205 work right here, and 1,485 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,400 people are in Ithaca on a workday afternoon, 22% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
The daily trip into Ithaca
Where Ithaca clocks in
10% of workers
7% of workers
4% 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.
The 1,690 jobs based in Ithaca
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ithaca, 2011 → 2021: 2,067 → 1,690. 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 Ithaca’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Ithaca’s workers travel
About 21% 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.
Ithaca is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ithaca is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns, #103 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Ithaca near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,587 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). 2.3% of Ithaca households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Ithaca’s commuters take a bus or train.
2,530th of 4,703: where Ithaca ranks among U.S. towns of 2,000 to 3,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 133 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 222 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,528 | Tolono IL | 3,499 | $70K | 4.6% | 11.4% | 2% | C+ |
| 2,529 | East Jordan MI | 2,243 | $60K | 10.5% | 0.9% | 24% | C+ |
| 2,530 | Ithaca MI | 2,807 | $63K | 16.8% | 1.3% | 19% | C+ |
| 2,531 | Bridgeton Township MI | 2,329 | $62K | 10.5% | 1.6% | <1% | C+ |
| 2,532 | Franklin Township MI | 3,047 | $90K | 7.3% | 6.8% | 3% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,703 | Cibecue AZ | 2,228 | $26K | 57.2% | 13.3% | 12% | 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 Ithaca, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work in the towns next to Ithaca
The biggest share goes to Newark Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ithaca workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca | – | C+ | A− | 24 min | $63,109 |
| North Star Township | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Emerson Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Newark Township | 2% | B | C+ | 20 min | $74,750 |
| Arcada Township | under 2% | C+ | D | 22 min | $88,523 |
Same-state neighbors only. North Star Township and Emerson Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ithaca’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 Ithaca: questions
What is the median household income in Ithaca?
$63,109 (±$4,506) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ithaca?
16.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ithaca?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ithaca work?
19% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Alma (10%, 7 mi), St. Louis (7%, 8 mi), Mount Pleasant (4%, 23 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Ithaca walkable?
Ithaca is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.5 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ithaca without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ithaca, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ithaca
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.