At 2.1%, unemployment in Kalkaska Township is lower than in 83% of U.S. towns
Home is the office for 2% of workers; Michigan has 14%. The two grades for Kalkaska Township are C+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. About one in four work in Kalkaska Township; the top destination outside it is Traverse City (13%, 19 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Kalkaska Township stands out on work
Kalkaska Township is the work center of its corner
Every town that borders Kalkaska Township (Clearwater Township, Excelsior Township, Whitewater Township, Boardman Township, Orange Township and others) has fewer jobs than working residents, while Kalkaska Township has 1.6 per resident. Next door ↓
Few Kalkaska Township workers work from home
Only 2% 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.
Kalkaska Township’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Kalkaska Township is better than 39% of U.S. towns, #496 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Kalkaska Township’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 20% of U.S. towns).
The commuting and job counts on this page are Census LEHD 2021: Michigan reports later than other states, so its newest year is three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Kalkaska Township could be anywhere from C− to B.
Each way, about 24 minutes from Kalkaska Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Kalkaska Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,202 commuters (the 2% 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.
How a workday changes Kalkaska Township
On a workday 1,360 residents head out to work, 552 work right here, and 2,581 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,400 people are in Kalkaska Township on a workday afternoon, 23% 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.
Where the people who work in Kalkaska Township live
Where Kalkaska Township clocks in
13% of workers
6% of workers
3% 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.
Jobs in Kalkaska Township: what the 3,133 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Kalkaska Township, 2011 → 2021: 2,507 → 3,133. 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 Kalkaska Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where in the region Kalkaska Township works
About 19% 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 of Kalkaska Township commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Kalkaska Township is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns, #186 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Kalkaska Township 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 2,244 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). 9.8% of Kalkaska Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Kalkaska Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Kalkaska Township ranks: 2,402nd of 3,696 U.S. towns of 3,600 to 7,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 59 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 131 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,400 | Springfield Township OH | 5,487 | $53K | 12.0% | 3.2% | 4% | C+ |
| 2,401 | Bridgeville PA | 4,569 | $60K | 11.6% | 7.5% | 5% | C+ |
| 2,402 | Kalkaska Township MI | 5,207 | $64K | 13.6% | 2.1% | 29% | C+ |
| 2,403 | Crittenden KY | 4,185 | $57K | 9.5% | 5.2% | 3% | C+ |
| 2,404 | Margaretta Township OH | 5,385 | $78K | 13.6% | 5.5% | 13% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,696 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 Kalkaska Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Kalkaska Township and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Kalkaska Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska Township | – | C+ | B | 24 min | $64,253 |
| Clearwater Township | 1% | C+ | C− | 32 min | $74,663 |
| Excelsior Township | under 2% | C− | D | 31 min | $66,250 |
| Whitewater Township | 2% | B+ | D | 25 min | $93,958 |
| Boardman Township | under 2% | C | D | 30 min | $83,510 |
| Orange Township | under 2% | C− | D | 30 min | $70,313 |
| Rapid River Township | 2% | C+ | D | 29 min | $72,273 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Whitewater Township. Darker towns draw more of Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska Township: questions
What is the median household income in Kalkaska Township?
$64,253 (±$8,041) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Kalkaska Township?
13.6%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Kalkaska Township?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Kalkaska Township work?
29% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Traverse City (13%, 19 mi), Garfield Township (6%, 21 mi), Suttons Bay Township (3%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Kalkaska Township walkable?
Kalkaska Township is more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Kalkaska Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Kalkaska Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Kalkaska 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.