Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0Novi’s household incomes are higher than in 84% of U.S. towns
5.4% of residents are in poverty, against 13.2% across Michigan. Novi grades A for jobs and income and B− for walkability. 23% 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
What sets Novi apart on work
Novi is where the jobs are
Novi has 41,020 jobs, 1.5 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Novi draws workers from far and wide
The 41,020 jobs in Novi are filled from a wide area. Novi’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 27%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Novi has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Novi went from 27,390 in 2011 to 41,020 in 2021, +50%. The jobs ↓
A lot of Novi works from home
23% of Novi 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind Novi’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Novi is better than 87% of U.S. towns, #87 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Novi’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
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, Novi could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Novi on a workday afternoon
On a workday 23,610 residents head out to work, 2,972 work right here, and 38,048 people come in from elsewhere.
About 82,000 people are in Novi on a workday afternoon, 21% more than live here.
1.5 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.
Where the people who work in Novi live
Where Novi clocks in
9% of workers
7% of workers
7% 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.
What the 41,020 jobs in Novi are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Novi, 2011 → 2021: 27,390 → 41,020. 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 Novi’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Novi: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Novi workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 25,899 commuters (the 23% 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.
The commute from Novi, by distance
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.
Getting around Novi: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Novi is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns, #226 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.8% across Michigan.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 33,541 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.1% of Novi households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Novi’s commuters take a bus or train.
Novi is 120th of 660 U.S. towns of 47,000 to 91,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 89 | Rochester Hills MI | 77,539 | $121K | 5.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 98 | Troy MI | 88,733 | $120K | 5.4% | 4.4% | 20% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 107 | Royal Oak MI | 57,583 | $101K | 6.2% | 3.5% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 118 | Lower Merion Township PA | 64,691 | $177K | 6.3% | 4.9% | 13% | A |
| 119 | North Richland Hills TX | 70,843 | $97K | 7.2% | 3.2% | 5% | A |
| 120 | Novi MI | 67,319 | $111K | 5.4% | 4.3% | 11% | A |
| 121 | Redmond WA | 82,506 | $163K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 32% | A |
| 122 | Alpharetta GA | 66,921 | $148K | 5.6% | 4.9% | 18% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 660 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 28% | 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 Novi, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
The towns around Novi
The biggest share goes to Farmington Hills (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Novi workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novi | – | A | B− | 26 min | $110,723 |
| Wixom | under 3% | B | B | 25 min | $65,485 |
| Walled Lake | under 3% | B | B− | 24 min | $72,055 |
| Northville | under 3% | A+ | A | 26 min | $145,530 |
| Lyon Township | under 3% | A | C+ | 30 min | $146,354 |
| Northville Township | under 3% | A+ | B− | 25 min | $150,518 |
| Farmington Hills | 9% | A− | B− | 25 min | $104,836 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Novi’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 Novi: questions
What is the median household income in Novi?
$110,723 (±$7,350) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Novi?
5.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Novi?
26 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Novi work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Farmington Hills (9%, 6 mi), Southfield (7%, 12 mi), Livonia (7%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Novi walkable?
Novi is more walkable than 54% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Novi without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Novi, from the people who make the trip.
More of Novi
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.