Jobs and earnings in Lake City, and the trip to work
Working residents average 16 minutes each way, next to 24 for Michigan and 26 for the U.S. Working from home is the commute for 2% of workers, next to 14% for Michigan as a whole. Only 6% stay in Lake City for work; outside it, Cadillac is the main destination (16%, 12 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Lake City: the gist
Commutes from Lake City are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 24 across Michigan. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Michigan worker, and quicker than any town next door (21 to 30 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Few Lake City 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; with 263 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
From Lake City, about 16 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Lake City workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 282 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 Lake City
On a workday 246 residents head out to work, 17 work right here, and 369 people come in from elsewhere.
About 960 people are in Lake City on a workday afternoon, 15% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.47 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.
Where people from Lake City work
Where Lake City clocks in
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 the 386 jobs in Lake City are
386 jobs are based in Lake City.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Lake City, 2011 → 2021: 39 → 386. 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 Lake City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Lake City commutes
About 25% 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.
Next door is work for 10% of Lake City
The biggest share goes to Lake Township (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Lake City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake City | – | — | — | 16 min | $74,583 |
| Lake Township | 5% | B− | C+ | 22 min | $72,917 |
| Forest Township | 3% | D− | C− | 30 min | $52,581 |
| Reeder Township | 2% | C− | B+ | 21 min | $69,000 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Lake City’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 Lake City: questions
What is the median household income in Lake City?
$74,583 (±$12,805) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Lake City?
14.2%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Lake City?
16 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Lake City work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Cadillac (16%, 12 mi), Traverse City (5%, 35 mi), Haring Township (5%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Lake City 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 Lake City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Lake City
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.