Fewer people are out of work in Little Traverse Township (2.0%) than in 85% of U.S. towns
The trip to work takes 18 minutes on average; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26. Little Traverse Township grades B+ for jobs and income and C for walkability. Only 7% stay in Little Traverse Township for work; outside it, Petoskey is the main destination (23%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Little Traverse Township apart
Little Traverse Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Little Traverse Township went from 767 in 2011 to 1,410 in 2021, +84%. The jobs ↓
Most Little Traverse Township residents work close to home
64% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
A lot of Little Traverse Township works one town over
26% of working residents work in a town that borders Little Traverse Township: Bear Creek Township (12%), Harbor Springs (7%) and Pleasantview Township (4%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Little Traverse Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 24 across Michigan. That’s about 46 hours a year less on the road than the typical Michigan worker. Time on the road ↓
Little Traverse Township makes and builds things
37% of the jobs based in Little Traverse Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Little Traverse Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 17%. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Jobs & income in Little Traverse Township: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Little Traverse Township is better than 68% of U.S. towns, #244 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Little Traverse Township’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 22% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Little Traverse Township could be anywhere from C+ to A−.
37% of the jobs in Little Traverse Township make or build things
1,410 jobs are based in Little Traverse Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Little Traverse Township, 2011 → 2021: 767 → 1,410. 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 Little Traverse Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Little Traverse Township
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.
Time on the road from Little Traverse Township: about 18 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Little Traverse Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,169 commuters (the 14% 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.
Little Traverse Township fills up on a workday
On a workday 934 residents head out to work, 75 work right here, and 1,335 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,000 people are in Little Traverse Township on a workday afternoon, 15% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.40 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 the trip to work from Little Traverse Township ends
Where Little Traverse Township clocks in
23% of workers
12% 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 commute in Little Traverse Township is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Little Traverse Township is more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns, #439 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.5% 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 1,362 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). 0.3% of Little Traverse Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Little Traverse Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Little Traverse Township is 1,323rd of 5,083 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,500 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 136 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 230 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,321 | Filer ID | 3,026 | $65K | 5.1% | 0.7% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,322 | Benton Township MI | 2,776 | $97K | 4.9% | 5.8% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,323 | Little Traverse Township MI | 2,622 | $88K | 5.8% | 2.0% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,324 | Warner NH | 2,902 | $94K | 8.4% | 1.3% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,325 | Kent Estates IA | 1,848 | $122K | 11.4% | 1.4% | <1% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,083 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 61% | 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 Little Traverse Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
26% of Little Traverse Township works in a town next door
The biggest share goes to Bear Creek Township (12%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Little Traverse Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Traverse Township | – | B+ | C | 18 min | $88,368 |
| Harbor Springs | 7% | C+ | A | 17 min | $75,417 |
| Pleasantview Township | 4% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Bear Creek Township | 12% | B− | B | 20 min | $71,090 |
| West Traverse Township | 3% | B− | B− | 24 min | $93,929 |
| Conway | under 2% | — | — | 14 min | — |
| Littlefield Township | under 2% | B | B | 18 min | $85,262 |
| Maple River Township | under 2% | C− | B− | 23 min | $72,019 |
Same-state neighbors only. Pleasantview Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Conway: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Little Traverse 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 Little Traverse Township: questions
What is the median household income in Little Traverse Township?
$88,368 (±$15,626) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Little Traverse Township?
5.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Little Traverse Township?
18 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Little Traverse Township work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Petoskey (23%, 6 mi), Bear Creek Township (12%, 6 mi), Harbor Springs (7%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Little Traverse Township walkable?
Little Traverse Township is more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Little Traverse 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 Little Traverse Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Little Traverse 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.