Leighton Township has lower unemployment (1.2%) than 93% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Leighton Township A+; getting around on foot earns it C−. Household incomes here are higher than in 80% of U.S. towns. Only 6% stay in Leighton Township for work; outside it, Grand Rapids is the main destination (15%, 16 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Leighton Township in brief
Jobs & income in Leighton Township: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Leighton Township is better than 96% of U.S. towns, #19 of 701 in Michigan. The poverty rate is its strongest input (2.9%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 76% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and 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 fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Leighton Township could be anywhere from A− to A+.
A place that makes things: 60% of Leighton Township’s jobs are in goods
1,675 jobs are based in Leighton Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Leighton Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,295 → 1,675. 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 Leighton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in Leighton Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 3,171 residents head out to work, 196 work right here, and 1,479 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,700 people are in Leighton Township on a workday afternoon, 23% fewer than live here.
0.50 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
Out of Leighton Township to work: where people go
Where Leighton Township clocks in
7% 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.
Commuting from Leighton Township: about 25 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Leighton Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,145 commuters (the 13% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Leighton Township
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 Leighton Township, most people drive to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Leighton Township is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns, #538 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 1.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 4.1.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,611 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). 1.2% of Leighton Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Leighton Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Leighton Township places 165th of 3,083 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 5,200 to 10,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 48 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 163 | Manasquan NJ | 5,954 | $143K | 3.0% | 2.7% | 9% | A+ |
| 164 | Tuckahoe NY | 7,029 | $104K | 5.1% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| 165 | Leighton Township MI | 7,374 | $104K | 2.9% | 1.2% | 6% | A+ |
| 166 | Plain City UT | 9,256 | $133K | 2.6% | 1.1% | 3% | A+ |
| 167 | Shamong Township NJ | 6,659 | $128K | 3.2% | 2.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,083 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Leighton Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around Leighton Township: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Dorr Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Leighton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leighton Township | – | A+ | C− | 25 min | $103,888 |
| Wayland | under 2% | B+ | A− | 22 min | $74,464 |
| Dorr Township | 4% | A− | D | 28 min | $97,542 |
| Wayland Township | under 2% | A− | C− | 27 min | $91,383 |
| Thornapple Township | under 2% | A | C+ | 26 min | $90,772 |
| Gaines Township | 3% | A− | B | 21 min | $82,738 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Leighton 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 Leighton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Leighton Township?
$103,888 (±$15,977) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Leighton Township?
2.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Leighton Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Leighton Township work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grand Rapids (15%, 16 mi), Wyoming (8%, 12 mi), Kentwood (7%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Leighton Township walkable?
Leighton Township is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 4.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Leighton Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Leighton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Leighton 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.