Photo: Lrgjr72 · CC BY 4.0Madison Heights has lower unemployment (2.8%) than 73% of U.S. towns
Only 7% work in Madison Heights itself; outside it, Detroit draws the most (11%, 9 miles). Jobs and income earn Madison Heights B+; getting around on foot earns it A−. The average commute takes 25 minutes each way, next to 24 for Michigan and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Madison Heights
Madison Heights is where the jobs are
Madison Heights has 20,515 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Madison Heights draws workers from far and wide
The 20,515 jobs in Madison Heights are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 38%; the other 58% come from many towns beyond those. 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.
Income, poverty and work: Madison Heights’ grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Madison Heights is better than 71% of U.S. towns, #225 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Madison Heights’ grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($69,503, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on unemployment.
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, Madison Heights could be anywhere from B to A−.
Madison Heights on a workday afternoon
On a workday 11,844 residents head out to work, 847 work right here, and 19,668 people come in from elsewhere.
About 36,000 people are in Madison Heights on a workday afternoon, 28% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Commuting in to Madison Heights: where workers come from
Where Madison Heights clocks in
11% of workers
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.
What the 20,515 jobs in Madison Heights are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Madison Heights, 2011 → 2021: 21,520 → 20,515. 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 Madison Heights’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Madison Heights: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Madison Heights workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,401 commuters (the 20% 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.
The commute from Madison Heights, by distance
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.
Madison Heights is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Madison Heights is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #70 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Madison Heights near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 15,408 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). 10.9% of Madison Heights households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Madison Heights’ commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 20,000 to 38,000, Madison Heights ranks 649th of 1,409 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Northville Township MI | 31,399 | $151K | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Oakland Township MI | 20,631 | $167K | 2.7% | 3.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 90 | Cascade Township MI | 20,201 | $136K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 647 | Wade Hampton SC | 20,898 | $77K | 7.2% | 4.0% | 5% | B+ |
| 648 | Goleta CA | 32,401 | $122K | 9.3% | 4.2% | 24% | B+ |
| 649 | Madison Heights MI | 28,297 | $70K | 10.8% | 2.8% | 7% | B+ |
| 650 | Palisades Park NJ | 20,317 | $95K | 9.4% | 5.6% | 7% | B+ |
| 651 | Moncks Corner SC | 20,612 | $92K | 8.3% | 3.6% | 11% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,409 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Madison Heights, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
The towns next door employ 23% of Madison Heights
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Madison Heights workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Heights | – | B+ | A− | 25 min | $69,503 |
| Royal Oak | 5% | A | B+ | 24 min | $101,109 |
| Troy | 11% | A | B | 24 min | $120,045 |
| Warren | 7% | C+ | B+ | 25 min | $64,016 |
| Hazel Park | under 3% | B− | A− | 25 min | $67,073 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Troy. Darker towns draw more of Madison Heights’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 Madison Heights: questions
What is the median household income in Madison Heights?
$69,503 (±$3,984) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Madison Heights?
10.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Madison Heights?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Madison Heights work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (11%, 9 mi), Troy (11%, 6 mi), Warren (7%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Madison Heights walkable?
Madison Heights is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Madison Heights without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Madison Heights, from the people who make the trip.
More of Madison Heights
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.