Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0More people are out of work in New Buffalo Township (12.9%) than in 98% of U.S. towns
31% of workers work from home, where Michigan as a whole has 14%. New Buffalo Township grades C+ for jobs and income and B for walkability. About one in seven work in New Buffalo Township; the top destination outside it is New Buffalo (19%, 1 miles).
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 New Buffalo Township
New Buffalo Township has far more jobs than workers
New Buffalo Township has 2,337 jobs, 3.3 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 4,100 people are in town, 65% more than the 2,500 who live here. Day and night ↓
Many of the people who work in New Buffalo Township live in another state
Michigan City, IN (11%), La Porte, IN (5%) and Portage, IN (2%) are among the top places New Buffalo Township’s workers come from. Counting only the top ten home towns, 18% of the jobs here are held by people from out of state. The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in New Buffalo Township
31% of New Buffalo Township workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. 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 713 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
How New Buffalo Township earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, New Buffalo Township is better than 36% of U.S. towns, #516 of 701 in Michigan. Household income holds New Buffalo Township’s grade up ($92,188, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on job access by car.
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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, New Buffalo Township could be anywhere from D to A.
How many people are in New Buffalo Township by day
On a workday 619 residents head out to work, 94 work right here, and 2,243 people come in from elsewhere.
About 4,100 people are in New Buffalo Township on a workday afternoon, 65% more than live here.
3.3 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 towns that send workers to New Buffalo Township
Where New Buffalo Township clocks in
19% 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.
The trip to work from New Buffalo 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 New Buffalo Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 649 commuters (the 31% 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.
Most jobs in New Buffalo Township are in services
2,337 jobs are based in New Buffalo Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in New Buffalo Township, 2011 → 2021: 2,456 → 2,337. 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 New Buffalo Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
New Buffalo Township’s commute, mile by mile
About 34% 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 of New Buffalo Township commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, New Buffalo Township is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns, #180 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 6.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 5.9.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 937 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). 2.2% of New Buffalo Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of New Buffalo Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,868 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,400, New Buffalo Township comes 2,921st on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 129 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 216 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,919 | Washington Township IN | 3,017 | $68K | 16.6% | 2.6% | 1% | C+ |
| 2,920 | Luce Township IN | 2,434 | $62K | 13.3% | 4.3% | 1% | C+ |
| 2,921 | New Buffalo Township MI | 2,517 | $92K | 13.6% | 12.9% | 13% | C+ |
| 2,922 | Paint Township PA | 2,999 | $61K | 6.4% | 6.4% | 7% | C+ |
| 2,923 | Llano Grande TX | 2,283 | $40K | 11.3% | 10.6% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,868 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 61% | 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 New Buffalo Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
New Buffalo Township and its neighbors: 23% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | New Buffalo Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Buffalo Township | – | C+ | B | 25 min | $92,188 |
| New Buffalo | 19% | C+ | A | 21 min | $64,702 |
| Grand Beach | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Michiana | under 2% | — | — | 46 min | — |
| Three Oaks Township | 2% | B− | B | 18 min | $68,438 |
| Chikaming Township | 2% | A− | C+ | 30 min | $83,908 |
Same-state neighbors only. Grand Beach and Michiana: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to New Buffalo. Darker towns draw more of New Buffalo 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 New Buffalo Township: questions
What is the median household income in New Buffalo Township?
$92,188 (±$33,724) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in New Buffalo Township?
13.6%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from New Buffalo Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 31% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in New Buffalo Township work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New Buffalo (19%, 1 mi), Grand Rapids (5%, 98 mi), La Porte (4%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is New Buffalo Township walkable?
New Buffalo Township is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 5.9 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around New Buffalo Township without a car?
<1% 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 New Buffalo Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of New Buffalo 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.