Photo: Robert Franklin · CC BY 4.0Niles Township has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs & income C+: better than 40% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #491 of 701 in Michigan.
Walkability C−: more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns · #465 of 701 in Michigan.
Household incomes here are lower than in 68% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 23 minutes each way (Michigan 24, U.S. 26). Only 8% work in Niles Township; the top destination outside it is South Bend (12%, 12 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 Niles Township
Many Niles Township workers cross into Indiana
41% of Niles Township workers work outside Michigan, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, South Bend (12%), Mishawaka (7%) and Elkhart (4%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Niles Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Niles Township went from 2,069 in 2011 to 2,817 in 2021, +36%. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What’s behind Niles Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Niles Township is better than 40% of U.S. towns, #491 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Niles Township’s grade up (ahead of 68% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (18.4%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on unemployment.
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 fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Niles Township could be anywhere from C− to B.
12% of working residents work in South Bend
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Niles Township clocks in
12% of workers
10% of workers
7% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
What the 2,817 jobs in Niles Township are
2,817 jobs are based in Niles Township. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Niles Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Niles Township, 2011 → 2021: 2,069 → 2,817. 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.
Niles Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 5,473 residents head out to work, 467 work right here, and 2,350 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Niles Township on a workday afternoon, 22% fewer than live here.
0.47 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute 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.
About 23 minutes each way, about the MI average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Niles Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,619 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.
Half of Niles Township commutes less than 12 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 22% 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.
Most trips from Niles Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Niles Township is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns, #465 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Niles 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 5,949 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). 3.4% of Niles Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Niles Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Niles Township is 1,588th of 2,227 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 19,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Niles Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 9 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Southfield Township MI | 14,671 | $185K | 4.7% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,586 | Snyder TX | 11,166 | $58K | 12.4% | 1.3% | 37% | C+ |
| 1,587 | El Dorado KS | 12,696 | $59K | 16.6% | 3.3% | 35% | C+ |
| 1,588 | Niles Township MI | 14,304 | $63K | 18.4% | 4.0% | 8% | C+ |
| 1,589 | Watervliet NY | 10,242 | $58K | 18.4% | 4.5% | 6% | C+ |
| 1,590 | Lansing NY | 11,786 | $86K | 13.4% | 5.6% | 15% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,227 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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.
10% of Niles Township works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Niles (10%). Darker towns draw more of Niles Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Niles Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niles Township | – | C+ | C− | 23 min | $63,459 |
| Niles | 10% | C− | B+ | 23 min | $51,376 |
| Bertrand Township | under 2% | A− | D | 24 min | $100,735 |
| Buchanan Township | under 2% | B− | D | 22 min | $66,783 |
| Howard Township | under 2% | B+ | C− | 26 min | $79,226 |
| Milton Township | under 2% | A | D | 21 min | $118,750 |
| Berrien Township | under 2% | B | C | 24 min | $79,148 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Niles Township: questions
What is the median household income in Niles Township?
$63,459 (±$4,270) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Niles Township?
18.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Niles Township?
23 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Niles Township work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are South Bend (12%, 12 mi), Niles (10%, 2 mi), Mishawaka (7%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Niles Township walkable?
Niles Township is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Niles Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Niles Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Niles 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.