Putnam Township has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs and income earn Putnam Township B+; getting around on foot earns it C+. 1,017 jobs are based in Putnam Township, against 3,544 working residents. Only 5% work in Putnam Township; the top destination outside it is Ann Arbor (14%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Putnam Township
Putnam Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 84 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Putnam Township
64% of Putnam Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 41% of the jobs based in Putnam Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Putnam Township is a place people come home to
There are 1,017 jobs based in Putnam Township, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Putnam Township has about 5,300 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Many jobs in Putnam Township pay little
27% of the jobs based in Putnam 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.
Where Putnam Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Putnam Township is better than 70% of U.S. towns, #229 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds Putnam Township’s grade up (2.4%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.3%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income 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 two years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Putnam Township could be anywhere from B− to A.
The daily trip from Putnam Township: about 35 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Putnam Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,264 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 kinds of work in Putnam Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Putnam Township, 2011 → 2021: 828 → 1,017. 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 Putnam Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who commutes out of Putnam Township, and who commutes in
On a workday 3,363 residents head out to work, 181 work right here, and 836 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,300 people are in Putnam Township on a workday afternoon, 32% 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.
Out of Putnam Township to work: where people go
Where Putnam Township clocks in
14% of workers
4% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Putnam Township
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 Putnam Township walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Putnam Township is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns, #368 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Putnam Township 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 3,865 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). 3.5% of Putnam Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Putnam Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Putnam Township is 1,086th of 2,983 U.S. towns of 5,500 to 10,500
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,084 | West Jefferson OH | 5,827 | $64K | 8.9% | 2.1% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,085 | Caledonia Township IL | 7,246 | $104K | 4.2% | 6.4% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,086 | Putnam Township MI | 7,797 | $96K | 12.3% | 2.4% | 5% | B+ |
| 1,087 | Wilmington Manor DE | 8,214 | $78K | 11.6% | 2.7% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,088 | Kenwood OH | 8,326 | $110K | 6.3% | 8.7% | 5% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,983 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Putnam Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
How Putnam Township compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Hamburg Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Putnam Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Township | – | B+ | C+ | 35 min | $96,442 |
| Unadilla Township | under 3% | B | C− | 34 min | $71,771 |
| Hamburg Township | 3% | A | C− | 32 min | $113,980 |
| Marion Township | under 3% | A | D | 29 min | $123,211 |
| Dexter Township | under 3% | A− | B− | 30 min | $124,088 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Putnam 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 Putnam Township: questions
What is the median household income in Putnam Township?
$96,442 (±$8,835) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Putnam Township?
12.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Putnam Township?
35 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Putnam Township work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ann Arbor (14%, 18 mi), Pittsfield Township (4%, 22 mi), Hamburg Township (3%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Putnam Township walkable?
Putnam Township is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.3 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Putnam Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Putnam Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Putnam 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.