Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Pleasant Ridge have higher incomes than those in 97% of U.S. towns
Pleasant Ridge grades A for jobs and income and B for walkability. 2.5% of residents are in poverty; Michigan has 13.2%. Home is the office for 31% of workers (Michigan 14%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Pleasant Ridge
A lot of Pleasant Ridge works from home
31% of Pleasant Ridge workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Time on the road ↓
Pleasant Ridge empties out on a workday
About 1,700 people are in Pleasant Ridge on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than the 2,600 who live here: 1,300 head out to work and 380 come in. Day and night ↓
Three in four Pleasant Ridge workers earn over $40,000 a year
76% of Pleasant Ridge’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Pleasant Ridge than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Pleasant Ridge fell from 540 in 2011 to 407 in 2021, −25%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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.
Why Pleasant Ridge gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Pleasant Ridge is better than 91% of U.S. towns, #54 of 701 in Michigan. Household income holds Pleasant Ridge’s grade up ($171,125, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and 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 three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Pleasant Ridge could be anywhere from A− to A+.
About 25 minutes each way, about the MI average
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pleasant Ridge workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,008 commuters (the 31% 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 daily flow of workers through Pleasant Ridge
On a workday 1,260 residents head out to work, 32 work right here, and 375 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,700 people are in Pleasant Ridge on a workday afternoon, 34% fewer than live here.
0.32 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.
Most jobs in Pleasant Ridge are in services
407 jobs are based in Pleasant Ridge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pleasant Ridge, 2011 → 2021: 540 → 407. 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 Pleasant Ridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
17% of working residents work in Detroit
Where Pleasant Ridge clocks in
9% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Pleasant Ridge
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.
Most trips from Pleasant Ridge start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Pleasant Ridge is more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns, #200 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Pleasant Ridge 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 1,459 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). 0.9% of Pleasant Ridge households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Pleasant Ridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Pleasant Ridge is 339th of 5,083 U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 136 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 230 | Milton Township MI | 3,187 | $119K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 337 | Monmouth Beach NJ | 3,226 | $150K | 0.2% | 4.7% | 6% | A |
| 338 | St. Henry OH | 2,624 | $116K | 2.8% | 0.0% | 14% | A |
| 339 | Pleasant Ridge MI | 2,592 | $171K | 2.5% | 5.7% | 2% | A |
| 340 | Eagle Township MI | 2,802 | $92K | 3.6% | 1.3% | 3% | A |
| 341 | Niwot CO | 3,447 | $146K | 2.2% | 4.1% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,083 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 61% | 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 Pleasant Ridge, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Pleasant Ridge and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Ferndale (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pleasant Ridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Ridge | – | A | B | 25 min | $171,125 |
| Ferndale | 4% | A− | A− | 23 min | $94,640 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Pleasant Ridge’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 Pleasant Ridge: questions
What is the median household income in Pleasant Ridge?
$171,125 (±$34,438) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pleasant Ridge?
2.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pleasant Ridge?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 31% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pleasant Ridge work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (17%, 6 mi), Troy (9%, 8 mi), Royal Oak (7%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Pleasant Ridge walkable?
Pleasant Ridge is more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.6 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Pleasant Ridge without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pleasant Ridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pleasant Ridge
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.