Oxford has higher unemployment (10.9%) than 96% of U.S. towns
The average commute takes 33 minutes each way, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26. Jobs and income earn Oxford B−; getting around on foot earns it B. Only 7% stay in Oxford for work; outside it, Oxford Township is the main destination (12%, 3 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Oxford at work: what stands out
Oxford trades workers with the towns around it
Oxford has about as many jobs (1,467) as working residents (1,669), but they are mostly different people: 1,560 residents leave for work each day while 1,358 people come in. Only 7% of the jobs in Oxford are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Oxford has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Oxford went from 810 in 2011 to 1,467 in 2021, +81%. The jobs ↓
Oxford workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical worker. 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.
Why Oxford gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Oxford is better than 47% of U.S. towns, #422 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Oxford’s grade up (ahead of 77% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Oxford could be anywhere from C− to A.
How a workday changes Oxford
On a workday 1,560 residents head out to work, 109 work right here, and 1,358 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.88 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
Oxford is a services town
1,467 jobs are based in Oxford.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Oxford, 2011 → 2021: 810 → 1,467. 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 Oxford’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Oxford: about 33 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Oxford workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,432 commuters (the 16% 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 places Oxford commutes to
Where Oxford clocks in
10% 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.
How far Oxford goes to work
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.
Driving is how Oxford gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Oxford is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns, #162 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.0% 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 1,699 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). 9.3% of Oxford households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Oxford’s commuters take a bus or train.
Oxford places 2,393rd of 4,535 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 125 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 146 | Dexter MI | 4,461 | $107K | 0.8% | 2.1% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,391 | Jena LA | 4,229 | $72K | 11.3% | 1.6% | 26% | B− |
| 2,392 | Cuba NY | 3,065 | $76K | 12.2% | 2.4% | 22% | B− |
| 2,393 | Oxford MI | 3,451 | $84K | 9.9% | 10.9% | 7% | B− |
| 2,394 | Penbrook PA | 3,243 | $62K | 7.4% | 8.8% | 1% | B− |
| 2,395 | Whitesboro TX | 4,188 | $70K | 16.5% | 2.2% | 13% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,535 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Oxford, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
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 Oxford: questions
What is the median household income in Oxford?
$83,611 (±$38,133) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Oxford?
9.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Oxford?
33 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Oxford work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oxford Township (12%, 3 mi), Auburn Hills (10%, 10 mi), Orion Township (8%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Oxford walkable?
Oxford is more walkable than 65% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Oxford without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Oxford, from the people who make the trip.
More of Oxford
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.