Photo: Matthew Lampe · Public domainUnemployment in Linden (9.8%) is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Linden is better than 55% of U.S. towns (B−); for walkability it is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns (C+). Home is the office for 5% of workers, next to 14% for Michigan as a whole. Only 3% stay in Linden for work; outside it, Flint is the main destination (7%, 15 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Linden
The better-paid jobs are outside Linden
60% of Linden residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 31% of the jobs based in Linden pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Linden workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 30 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 230 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Many jobs in Linden pay little
26% of the jobs based in Linden pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 36% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
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.
The four measures behind Linden’s grade
The poverty rate holds Linden’s grade up (4.4%, U.S. 12.5%); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income 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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Linden could be anywhere from C+ to A.
What the 794 jobs in Linden are
794 jobs are based in Linden.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Linden, 2011 → 2021: 687 → 794. 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 Linden’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Linden, about 30 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Linden workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,599 commuters (the 5% 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.
In and out of Linden on a workday
On a workday 1,584 residents head out to work, 43 work right here, and 751 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,400 people are in Linden on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.49 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.
The places Linden commutes to
Where Linden clocks in
7% of workers
4% 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.
The distance from Linden to work
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 Linden, the car does most of the work
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.8% across Michigan.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,677 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.6% of Linden households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Linden’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Linden is 1,967th among 4,195 U.S. towns of 2,900 to 5,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 124 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 129 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,965 | Lexington Township OH | 4,944 | $65K | 13.8% | 2.1% | 5% | B− |
| 1,966 | Hicksville Township OH | 4,936 | $65K | 3.0% | 5.1% | 28% | B− |
| 1,967 | Linden MI | 4,186 | $79K | 4.4% | 9.8% | 3% | B− |
| 1,968 | Montoursville PA | 4,635 | $60K | 9.8% | 2.7% | 9% | B− |
| 1,969 | Casco ME | 3,779 | $69K | 11.0% | 1.5% | 8% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,195 | 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 Linden, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
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 Linden: questions
What is the median household income in Linden?
$79,464 (±$16,459) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Linden?
4.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Linden?
30 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Linden work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Flint (7%, 15 mi), Fenton (7%, 4 mi), Grand Blanc Township (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Linden walkable?
Linden is more walkable than 44% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Linden without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Linden, from the people who make the trip.
More of Linden
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.