Porter Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.2 for each
The two grades for Porter Township are C+ for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Employers in Porter Township report 322 jobs for 1,716 working residents. For 6% of workers, the job is at home, against 14% across Michigan.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Porter Township at work: what stands out
Many Porter Township workers cross into Indiana
54% of Porter Township workers work outside Michigan, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Elkhart (24%), Bristol (4%) and Goshen (3%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
Porter Township is a place people come home to
There are 322 jobs based in Porter Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Porter Township has about 2,600 people in it, 35% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Porter Township
60% of Porter Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 37% of the jobs based in Porter Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Porter Township pay little
26% of the jobs based in Porter Township pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Porter Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Porter Township is better than 41% of U.S. towns, #480 of 701 in Michigan. Household income holds Porter Township’s grade up ($79,681, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (6.7%, U.S. 5.2%). 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 rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Porter Township could be anywhere from C− to A−.
24% of working residents work in Elkhart
Where Porter Township clocks in
24% of workers
3% 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.
Who commutes out of Porter Township, and who commutes in
On a workday 1,616 residents head out to work, 100 work right here, and 222 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in Porter Township on a workday afternoon, 35% 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.
A place that makes things: 34% of Porter Township’s jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Porter Township, 2011 → 2021: 330 → 322. 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 Porter Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 21 minutes to work from Porter Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Porter Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,646 commuters (the 6% 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Porter Township
About 17% 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.
Few in Porter Township walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Porter Township is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns, #357 of 701 in Michigan. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 4.2.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,747 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). 7.6% of Porter Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Porter Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Porter Township ranks: 2,487th of 4,084 U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,300
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 115 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 119 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,485 | Rush Township OH | 2,800 | $63K | 6.5% | 6.2% | 4% | C+ |
| 2,486 | Walker Township IN | 3,853 | $92K | 5.0% | 11.8% | 1% | C+ |
| 2,487 | Porter Township MI | 3,946 | $80K | 10.7% | 6.7% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,488 | Claibourne Township OH | 4,151 | $66K | 9.8% | 4.8% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,489 | Wooster Township OH | 4,603 | $70K | 10.0% | 6.8% | 7% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,084 | 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 Porter Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work in the towns next to Porter Township
The biggest share goes to Constantine Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Porter Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Township | – | C+ | C+ | 21 min | $79,681 |
| Mottville Township | under 2% | B− | C+ | 24 min | $70,441 |
| Mason Township | under 2% | C− | C− | 24 min | $59,922 |
| Constantine Township | 2% | C+ | D | 22 min | $73,926 |
| Newberg Township | under 2% | C+ | D | 27 min | $72,167 |
| Calvin Township | under 2% | B | D | 25 min | $80,813 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Porter 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 Porter Township: questions
What is the median household income in Porter Township?
$79,681 (±$9,086) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Porter Township?
10.7%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Porter Township?
21 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Porter Township work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elkhart (24%, 11 mi), Bristol (4%, 8 mi), Goshen (3%, 17 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Porter Township walkable?
Porter Township is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 4.2 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Porter Township 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 Porter Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Porter 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.