Household incomes in LaGrange Township trail those of 76% of U.S. towns
13.9% of residents are in poverty, against 13.2% across Michigan. For jobs and income LaGrange Township is better than 26% of U.S. towns (C); for walkability it is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (B+). About one in ten work in LaGrange Township itself; outside it, Elkhart draws the most (9%, 17 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in LaGrange Township: the figures worth knowing
LaGrange Township trades workers with the towns around it
LaGrange Township has about as many jobs (1,399) as working residents (1,323), but they are mostly different people: 1,198 residents leave for work each day while 1,274 people come in. Only 9% of the jobs in LaGrange Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of LaGrange Township workers cross into Indiana
22% of LaGrange Township workers work outside Michigan, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Elkhart (9%), South Bend (5%) and Mishawaka (4%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in LaGrange Township
Job access by car holds LaGrange Township’s grade up (ahead of 48% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($58,786, U.S. $80,734).
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, LaGrange Township could be anywhere from D to B−.
A workday in LaGrange Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 1,198 residents head out to work, 125 work right here, and 1,274 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 (1.06 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 LaGrange Township commutes to
Where LaGrange Township clocks in
9% of workers
6% 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.
What work there is in LaGrange Township: 1,399 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in LaGrange Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,715 → 1,399. 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 LaGrange Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
LaGrange Township’s commute takes about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of LaGrange Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,689 commuters (the 6% 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 far LaGrange Township goes to work
About 23% 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 LaGrange Township, the car does most of the work
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 9.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 6.5.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,801 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). 8.1% of LaGrange Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of LaGrange Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, LaGrange Township is 3,258th of 4,318 U.S. towns of 2,600 to 5,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 116 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,256 | Fairfield TX | 3,029 | $47K | 21.5% | 1.0% | 22% | C |
| 3,257 | Butler Beach FL | 4,610 | $77K | 10.1% | 11.1% | 6% | C |
| 3,258 | LaGrange Township MI | 3,724 | $59K | 13.9% | 5.6% | 9% | C |
| 3,259 | Dover Township OH | 3,260 | $55K | 20.4% | 2.9% | 1% | C |
| 3,260 | Gregg Township PA | 3,594 | $80K | 39.8% | 10.8% | 3% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,318 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 LaGrange Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Bordering towns draw 10% of LaGrange Township’s workers
The biggest share goes to Dowagiac (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | LaGrange Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaGrange Township | – | C | B+ | 23 min | $58,786 |
| Dowagiac | 6% | D | A− | 23 min | $48,166 |
| Penn Township | 2% | B− | C− | 34 min | $83,897 |
| Jefferson Township | under 2% | B | D | 25 min | $72,375 |
| Pokagon Township | under 2% | B− | B− | 23 min | $72,022 |
| Wayne Township | 2% | D | C | 25 min | $61,210 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of LaGrange 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 LaGrange Township: questions
What is the median household income in LaGrange Township?
$58,786 (±$6,979) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in LaGrange Township?
13.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from LaGrange Township?
23 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in LaGrange Township work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elkhart (9%, 17 mi), Dowagiac (6%, 5 mi), South Bend (5%, 21 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is LaGrange Township walkable?
LaGrange Township is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 6.5 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around LaGrange Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from LaGrange Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of LaGrange 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.