With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of Otter Lake works elsewhere
Hardly any stay in Otter Lake for work; outside it, Lapeer is the main destination (15%, 13 miles). Employers in Otter Lake report 9 jobs, and 170 of its residents work somewhere. A typical one-way commute lasts 36 minutes, next to 24 for Michigan and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in Otter Lake: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 169 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 8 people come in from elsewhere.
About 200 people are in Otter Lake on a workday afternoon, 45% fewer than live here.
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 places Otter Lake commutes to
Where Otter Lake clocks in
15% of workers
5% 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.
Jobs in Otter Lake: what the 9 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Otter Lake, 2011 → 2021: 22 → 9. 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 Otter Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Otter Lake: about 36 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Otter Lake workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 146 commuters (the 10% 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.
How far Otter Lake’s workers travel
About 29% 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.
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 Otter Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Otter Lake?
$42,969 (±$12,418) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Otter Lake?
14.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Otter Lake?
36 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Otter Lake work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Lapeer (15%, 13 mi), Auburn Hills (5%, 39 mi), Flint (5%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Otter Lake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Otter Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Otter Lake
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.