Most of Jefferson Township commutes out: there are 0.3 jobs for every working resident
Jefferson Township grades B for jobs and income and D for walkability. 261 jobs are based in Jefferson Township for 993 working residents. Only 1% work in Jefferson Township itself; outside it, Elkhart draws the most (14%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Jefferson Township in brief
Many Jefferson Township workers cross into Indiana
45% of Jefferson Township workers work outside Michigan, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Elkhart (14%), South Bend (8%) and Mishawaka (7%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Jefferson Township is a place people come home to
There are 261 jobs based in Jefferson Township, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Jefferson Township has about 1,800 people in it, 28% 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; with 993 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Income, poverty and work: Jefferson Township’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Jefferson Township is better than 56% of U.S. towns, #353 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Jefferson Township’s grade up (1.9%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (14.2%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on 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, Jefferson Township could be anywhere from C to A−.
Where Jefferson Township’s working residents head each day
Where Jefferson Township clocks in
14% of workers
8% 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.
How many people are in Jefferson Township by day
On a workday 979 residents head out to work, 14 work right here, and 247 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,800 people are in Jefferson Township on a workday afternoon, 28% 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.
The kinds of work in Jefferson Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Jefferson Township, 2011 → 2021: 181 → 261. 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 Jefferson Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 25 minutes in Jefferson Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Jefferson Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,162 commuters (the 8% 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 commute from Jefferson Township, by distance
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.
In Jefferson Township, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Jefferson Township is more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns, #608 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 0.9% 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 1,259 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). 5.1% of Jefferson Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Jefferson Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Jefferson Township ranks: 2,010th of 5,083 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 136 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 230 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,008 | Delaware Township IN | 3,500 | $74K | 9.3% | 2.7% | 8% | B |
| 2,009 | Jackson Township IN | 1,989 | $85K | 12.6% | 1.6% | <1% | B |
| 2,010 | Jefferson Township MI | 2,581 | $72K | 14.2% | 1.9% | 1% | B |
| 2,011 | Dayton Township MI | 2,035 | $82K | 11.5% | 1.1% | 2% | B |
| 2,012 | Harrison Township OH | 2,053 | $69K | 5.0% | 5.3% | 5% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 5,083 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Jefferson Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work next door: 13% of Jefferson Township’s workers
The biggest share goes to LaGrange Township (7%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Jefferson Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | – | B | D | 25 min | $72,375 |
| Howard Township | under 2% | B+ | C− | 26 min | $79,226 |
| Calvin Township | under 2% | B | D | 25 min | $80,813 |
| Ontwa Township | 6% | B | D | 25 min | $61,241 |
| LaGrange Township | 7% | C | B+ | 23 min | $58,786 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township: questions
What is the median household income in Jefferson Township?
$72,375 (±$7,853) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Jefferson Township?
14.2%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Jefferson Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Jefferson Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elkhart (14%, 12 mi), South Bend (8%, 17 mi), LaGrange Township (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Jefferson Township walkable?
Jefferson Township is more walkable than 9% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 3.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Jefferson Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Jefferson Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Jefferson 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.