Merrill Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.1 for each
22 jobs are based in Merrill Township; 239 of its residents have a job. Hardly any work in Merrill Township; the top destination outside it is Big Rapids (10%, 20 miles). Working residents average 34 minutes each way; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Merrill Township and work: the main findings
Merrill Township is a place people come home to
There are 22 jobs based in Merrill Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Merrill Township has about 550 people in it, 28% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
40% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Merrill Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 34 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 261 hours of commuting, 77 more than the state’s typical worker. 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 239 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
In and out of Merrill Township on a workday
On a workday 237 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 20 people come in from elsewhere.
About 550 people are in Merrill Township on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.
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 commute from Merrill Township, by distance
About 40% 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 Merrill Township: about 34 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Merrill Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 136 commuters (the 16% 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.
Where people from Merrill Township work
Where Merrill Township clocks in
10% 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.
What Merrill Township’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Merrill Township, 2011 → 2021: 8 → 22. 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 Merrill Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How Merrill Township compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Lilley Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Merrill Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill Township | – | — | — | 34 min | $40,865 |
| Lincoln Township | under 2% | D− | D− | 42 min | $52,057 |
| Lilley Township | 3% | — | — | 34 min | — |
| Monroe Township | under 2% | — | — | 31 min | — |
| Beaver Township | under 2% | — | — | 35 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Lilley Township, Monroe Township and Beaver Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Merrill 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 Merrill Township: questions
What is the median household income in Merrill Township?
$40,865 (±$6,336) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Merrill Township?
21.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Merrill Township?
34 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Merrill Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Big Rapids (10%, 20 mi), Grand Rapids (5%, 51 mi), White Cloud (4%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Merrill Township 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 Merrill Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Merrill 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.