How Pentwater works: jobs, income and commuting
Home is the office for 30% of workers, against 14% across Michigan. Only 7% stay in Pentwater for work; outside it, Hart is the main destination (10%, 7 miles). Working residents average 17 minutes each way; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Pentwater apart on work
A big share show a job far from home
40% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Home offices are common in Pentwater
30% of Pentwater workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Time on the road ↓
Commutes from Pentwater are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 24 across Michigan. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Michigan 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; with 266 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The commute from Pentwater, by distance
About 40% 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.
How long Pentwater spends getting to work: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pentwater workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 226 commuters (the 30% 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.
In and out of Pentwater on a workday
On a workday 248 residents head out to work, 18 work right here, and 157 people come in from elsewhere.
About 820 people are in Pentwater on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
0.66 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.
Where people from Pentwater work
Where Pentwater clocks in
Lines 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 Pentwater’s employers do
175 jobs are based in Pentwater.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pentwater, 2011 → 2021: 93 → 175. 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 Pentwater’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How Pentwater compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Pentwater Township (8%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pentwater workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentwater | – | — | — | 17 min | $80,750 |
| Pentwater Township | 8% | B− | A− | 19 min | $87,708 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Pentwater’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 Pentwater: questions
What is the median household income in Pentwater?
$80,750 (±$14,925) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pentwater?
10.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pentwater?
17 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pentwater work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Hart (10%, 7 mi), Pentwater Township (8%, 1 mi), Ludington (5%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Pentwater without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pentwater, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pentwater
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.