With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Michiana works elsewhere
Working residents average 46 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. Employers in Michiana report 11 jobs for 66 working residents. Hardly any work in Michiana itself; outside it, New Buffalo draws the most (20%, 4 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The daily flow of workers through Michiana
On a workday 66 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 11 people come in from elsewhere.
About 160 people are in Michiana on a workday afternoon, 26% 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.
Commuting out of Michiana: the destinations
Where Michiana clocks in
20% of workers
14% 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.
82% of the jobs in Michiana pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Michiana, 2011 → 2021: 21 → 11. 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 Michiana’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Michiana: about 46 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Michiana workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 80 commuters (the 46% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Michiana
About 35% 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.
Work next door: 14% of Michiana’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Michiana workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michiana | – | — | — | 46 min | $167,500 |
| New Buffalo Township | 14% | C+ | B | 25 min | $92,188 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to New Buffalo Township. Darker towns draw more of Michiana’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 Michiana: questions
What is the median household income in Michiana?
$167,500 (±$36,527) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Michiana?
4.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Michiana?
46 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 46% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Michiana work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Buffalo (20%, 4 mi), New Buffalo Township (14%, 5 mi), Michigan City (6%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Michiana without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Michiana, from the people who make the trip.
More of Michiana
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.