West Jefferson Avenue-Rouge River Bridge · Photo: Andrew Jameson · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in River Rouge have lower incomes than those in 95% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 7.2 in Detroit. Poverty touches 39.8% of residents, against 13.2% across Michigan. Jobs and income earn River Rouge C−; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from River Rouge, in brief
The jobs in River Rouge pay better than its residents’ jobs
71% of the jobs based in River Rouge pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 40% of the jobs River Rouge residents hold. 90% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside River Rouge. The jobs ↓
River Rouge and Detroit trade workers both ways
Detroit is the top workplace for River Rouge residents (15%) and also where the most people who work in River Rouge come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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.
How River Rouge earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, River Rouge is better than 16% of U.S. towns, #635 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds River Rouge’s grade up (ahead of 91% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
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, River Rouge could be anywhere from D to C.
71% of the jobs in River Rouge pay over $3,333 a month
1,023 jobs are based in River Rouge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in River Rouge, 2011 → 2021: 943 → 1,023. 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 River Rouge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
15% of working residents work in Detroit
Where River Rouge clocks in
5% 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.
The daily flow of workers through River Rouge
On a workday 2,303 residents head out to work, 101 work right here, and 922 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,400 people are in River Rouge on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.43 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.
The daily trip from River Rouge: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of River Rouge workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,347 commuters (the 8% 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.
River Rouge’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: River Rouge
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, River Rouge is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #46 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, above 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 2,539 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 81% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 23% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 63% 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). 11.9% of River Rouge households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of River Rouge’s commuters take a bus or train.
River Rouge places 2,792nd of 3,168 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 4,800 to 9,200
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 46 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Plymouth MI | 9,164 | $112K | 3.2% | 2.3% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,790 | Mims FL | 7,610 | $59K | 11.4% | 7.3% | 4% | C− |
| 2,791 | Brazil IN | 8,343 | $52K | 18.6% | 5.9% | 14% | C− |
| 2,792 | River Rouge MI | 6,814 | $41K | 39.8% | 11.4% | 4% | C− |
| 2,793 | Truth or Consequences NM | 5,949 | $34K | 31.7% | 1.6% | 48% | C− |
| 2,794 | Central SC | 5,298 | $60K | 30.3% | 4.4% | 3% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,168 | 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 River Rouge, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door is work for 18% of River Rouge
The biggest share goes to Detroit (15%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | River Rouge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Rouge | – | C− | A | 26 min | $41,053 |
| Detroit | 15% | C− | A+ | 25 min | $39,938 |
| Ecorse | 3% | C− | A− | 23 min | $40,241 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of River Rouge’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 River Rouge: questions
What is the median household income in River Rouge?
$41,053 (±$4,276) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in River Rouge?
39.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from River Rouge?
26 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in River Rouge work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (15%, 8 mi), Dearborn (5%, 5 mi), Southfield (4%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is River Rouge walkable?
River Rouge is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.4 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around River Rouge without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 23% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from River Rouge, from the people who make the trip.
More of River Rouge
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.