With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Montcalm Township works elsewhere
Montcalm Township grades C for jobs and income and D− for walkability. 221 jobs are based in Montcalm Township, against 1,353 working residents. Hardly any work in Montcalm Township; the top destination outside it is Grand Rapids (14%, 28 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Montcalm Township, in a few figures
Fewer jobs are based in Montcalm Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Montcalm Township fell from 459 in 2011 to 221 in 2021, −52%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Montcalm Township is a place people come home to
There are 221 jobs based in Montcalm Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Montcalm Township has about 2,400 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Montcalm Township’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Montcalm Township is Grand Rapids, 28 miles away as the crow flies. 14% of working residents (183) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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 Montcalm Township’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Montcalm Township is better than 27% of U.S. towns, #564 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Montcalm Township’s grade up (4.1%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 15% of U.S. towns).
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, Montcalm Township could be anywhere from D to B.
The kinds of work in Montcalm Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Montcalm Township, 2011 → 2021: 459 → 221. 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 Montcalm Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Montcalm Township on a workday
On a workday 1,341 residents head out to work, 12 work right here, and 209 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,400 people are in Montcalm Township on a workday afternoon, 32% 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 distance from Montcalm Township to work
About 21% 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.
The places Montcalm Township commutes to
Where Montcalm Township clocks in
12% of workers
3% 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 daily trip from Montcalm Township: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Montcalm Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,207 commuters (the 7% 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.
For most of Montcalm Township, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Montcalm Township is more walkable than 5% of U.S. towns, #670 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Montcalm Township 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 1,297 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). 2.0% of Montcalm Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Montcalm Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Montcalm Township is 3,225th of 4,355 U.S. towns of 2,500 to 4,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 124 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 144 | Dexter MI | 4,461 | $107K | 0.8% | 2.1% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,223 | Tarentum PA | 4,127 | $45K | 14.8% | 6.6% | 5% | C |
| 3,224 | Gold Bar WA | 2,561 | $101K | 12.0% | 6.9% | 2% | C |
| 3,225 | Montcalm Township MI | 3,532 | $71K | 15.4% | 4.1% | 1% | C |
| 3,226 | Guilford NY | 2,674 | $74K | 5.0% | 11.7% | 1% | C |
| 3,227 | Keating Township PA | 2,631 | $74K | 15.5% | 4.0% | 6% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,355 | 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 Montcalm Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door is work for 12% of Montcalm Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Montcalm Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montcalm Township | – | C | D− | 25 min | $71,293 |
| Sidney Township | under 3% | D | D | 26 min | $60,050 |
| Eureka Township | under 3% | A− | C | 27 min | $77,266 |
| Spencer Township | under 3% | B | D | 35 min | $82,571 |
| Greenville | 12% | C | B | 24 min | $63,285 |
| Pine Township | under 3% | C | D | 37 min | $82,966 |
| Douglass Township | under 3% | D | D | 27 min | $66,806 |
| Fairplain Township | under 3% | D | D | 27 min | $56,406 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Greenville. Darker towns draw more of Montcalm 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 Montcalm Township: questions
What is the median household income in Montcalm Township?
$71,293 (±$15,112) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Montcalm Township?
15.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Montcalm Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Montcalm Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grand Rapids (14%, 28 mi), Greenville (12%, 4 mi), Kentwood (3%, 30 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Montcalm Township walkable?
Montcalm Township is more walkable than 5% of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 3.5 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Montcalm Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Montcalm Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Montcalm 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.