Photo: bigmikesndtech · CC BY 2.0Households in Muskegon have lower incomes than those in 93% of U.S. towns
24.9% of residents are in poverty, against 13.2% across Michigan. About one in five work in Muskegon; the top destination outside it is Norton Shores (8%, 4 miles). 6% of workers have no commute at all, where Michigan as a whole has 14%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Muskegon, in a few figures
Muskegon is where the jobs are
Muskegon has 20,979 jobs, 1.7 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Fewer than half of Muskegon workers earn over $40,000 a year
40% of Muskegon’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 20% earn $1,250 a month or less. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Muskegon
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Muskegon is better than 13% of U.S. towns, #650 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Muskegon’s grade up (ahead of 70% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (9.4%, U.S. 5.2%).
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 fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Muskegon could be anywhere from D to C−.
Muskegon by day and by night
On a workday 9,760 residents head out to work, 2,738 work right here, and 18,241 people come in from elsewhere.
About 46,000 people are in Muskegon on a workday afternoon, 23% more than live here.
1.7 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.
The 20,979 jobs based in Muskegon
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Muskegon, 2011 → 2021: 16,975 → 20,979. 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 Muskegon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where Muskegon’s workforce comes from
Where Muskegon clocks in
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.
About 21 minutes to work from Muskegon
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Muskegon workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 13,027 commuters (the 6% 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.
Miles to work from Muskegon
About 18% 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.
Most trips from Muskegon start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Muskegon is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns, #119 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Muskegon 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 13,821 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). 16.0% of Muskegon households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Muskegon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Muskegon and other U.S. towns of 26,000 to 50,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 3 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Northville Township MI | 31,399 | $151K | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 96 | Bloomfield Township MI | 43,904 | $163K | 4.8% | 3.6% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 101 | Lyon Township MI | 26,867 | $146K | 4.8% | 3.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,117 | Immokalee FL | 26,361 | $48K | 28.3% | 4.3% | 19% | D |
| 1,118 | Morristown TN | 33,517 | $48K | 26.0% | 7.1% | 44% | D |
| 1,119 | Muskegon MI | 37,224 | $45K | 24.9% | 9.4% | 22% | D |
| 1,120 | Eagle Pass TX | 28,926 | $57K | 22.0% | 6.7% | 30% | D |
| 1,121 | Mansfield OH | 47,381 | $45K | 23.5% | 7.3% | 33% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 1,162 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | 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 Muskegon, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Bordering towns draw 13% of Muskegon’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Muskegon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon | – | D | B+ | 21 min | $44,735 |
| Muskegon Township | 3% | C− | C | 22 min | $54,962 |
| Muskegon Heights | 2% | D | B | 18 min | $35,239 |
| North Muskegon | under 3% | A | B+ | 22 min | $104,659 |
| Norton Shores | 8% | B | C+ | 20 min | $76,579 |
| Laketon Township | under 3% | A− | D | 22 min | $98,114 |
| Fruitport Township | under 3% | B | C | 21 min | $85,413 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Norton Shores. Darker towns draw more of Muskegon’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 Muskegon: questions
What is the median household income in Muskegon?
$44,735 (±$3,795) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Muskegon?
24.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Muskegon?
21 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Muskegon work?
22% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Norton Shores (8%, 4 mi), Grand Rapids (5%, 36 mi), Grand Haven (4%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Muskegon walkable?
Muskegon is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 7.9 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Muskegon without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 16% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Muskegon, from the people who make the trip.
More of Muskegon
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.