Fewer people are out of work in Ontwa Township (1.3%) than in 92% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are lower than in 72% of U.S. towns. Ontwa Township grades B for jobs and income and D for walkability. About one in ten work in Ontwa Township itself; outside it, Elkhart draws the most (22%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Ontwa Township: the figures worth knowing
Many Ontwa Township workers cross into Indiana
58% of Ontwa Township workers work outside Michigan, most of them in Indiana, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Ontwa Township makes and builds things
57% of the jobs based in Ontwa Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Ontwa Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 36%. The jobs ↓
Many of the people who work in Ontwa Township live in another state
South Bend, IN (8%), Elkhart, IN (5%) and Mishawaka, IN (4%) are among the top places Ontwa Township’s workers come from. Counting only the top ten home towns, 20% of the jobs here are held by people from out of state. The commute map ↓
Ontwa Township has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Ontwa Township went from 1,019 in 2011 to 1,831 in 2021, +80%. 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.
The figures behind Ontwa Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Ontwa Township is better than 64% of U.S. towns, #287 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Ontwa Township’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($61,241, U.S. $80,734). 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 two years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Ontwa Township could be anywhere from B− to A−.
Where Ontwa Township goes to work
Where Ontwa Township clocks in
22% of workers
8% of workers
8% 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.
Ontwa Township makes things: 57% of its jobs are in goods
1,831 jobs are based in Ontwa Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Ontwa Township, 2011 → 2021: 1,019 → 1,831. 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 Ontwa Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Ontwa Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 2,956 residents head out to work, 307 work right here, and 1,524 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,400 people are in Ontwa Township on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
0.56 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.
A commute of about 25 minutes in Ontwa Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Ontwa Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,225 commuters (the 9% 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 distance from Ontwa Township to work
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.
Ontwa Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Ontwa Township is more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns, #591 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Ontwa 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 3,532 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). 3.6% of Ontwa Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Ontwa Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Ontwa Township is 1,386th of 3,168 U.S. towns of 4,800 to 9,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Plymouth MI | 9,164 | $112K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,384 | Savannah MO | 5,107 | $63K | 4.4% | 2.4% | 12% | B |
| 1,385 | Harrah OK | 7,212 | $84K | 10.8% | 3.3% | 7% | B |
| 1,386 | Ontwa Township MI | 6,839 | $61K | 10.1% | 1.3% | 9% | B |
| 1,387 | Berlin Township NJ | 6,060 | $75K | 10.9% | 4.2% | 6% | B |
| 1,388 | Eaton CO | 5,848 | $106K | 9.6% | 4.5% | 9% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 3,168 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Ontwa Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
The towns around Ontwa Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Ontwa Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontwa Township | – | B | D | 25 min | $61,241 |
| Mason Township | under 2% | C− | C− | 24 min | $59,922 |
| Jefferson Township | under 2% | B | D | 25 min | $72,375 |
| Milton Township | under 2% | A | D | 21 min | $118,750 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Ontwa 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 Ontwa Township: questions
What is the median household income in Ontwa Township?
$61,241 (±$7,744) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Ontwa Township?
10.1%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Ontwa Township?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Ontwa Township work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elkhart (22%, 8 mi), Mishawaka (8%, 10 mi), South Bend (8%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Ontwa Township walkable?
Ontwa Township is more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.1 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Ontwa Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Ontwa Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Ontwa 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.