Rockwood has 0.3 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs & income A−: better than 75% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #191 of 701 in Michigan.
Walkability C−: more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns · #527 of 701 in Michigan.
Household incomes here are higher than in 66% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 29 minutes each way (Michigan 24, U.S. 26). Only 3% work in Rockwood; the top destination outside it is Detroit (9%, 23 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Rockwood, in brief
Rockwood is a place people come home to
There are 415 jobs based in Rockwood, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Rockwood has about 2,100 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Rockwood’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Rockwood is Detroit, 23 miles away as the crow flies. 9% of working residents (131) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Rockwood workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical 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.
What’s behind Rockwood’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Rockwood is better than 75% of U.S. towns, #191 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Rockwood’s grade up (ahead of 84% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (11.4%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
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, Rockwood could be anywhere from C+ to A+.
Rockwood quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,380 residents head out to work, 42 work right here, and 373 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,100 people are in Rockwood on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
0.29 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.
Half of Rockwood commutes less than 18 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2021.
About 29 minutes each way, longer than most of Michigan
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Rockwood workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,251 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Michigan: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
9% of working residents work in Detroit
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Rockwood clocks in
7% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Rockwood makes things: 29% of its jobs are in goods
415 jobs are based in Rockwood. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Rockwood’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Rockwood, 2011 → 2021: 366 → 415. 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.
Most trips from Rockwood start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Rockwood is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns, #527 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below 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 1,408 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 0.0 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 Rockwood households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Rockwood’s commuters take a bus or train.
Rockwood is 1,010th of 4,562 U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,200 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Rockwood, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 21 | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 226 | Heath Township MI | 4,017 | $105K | 1.3% | 0.9% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,008 | Dunbarton NH | 3,233 | $124K | 3.0% | 4.8% | 5% | A− |
| 1,009 | East Hopewell Township PA | 2,555 | $109K | 4.1% | 3.7% | 2% | A− |
| 1,010 | Rockwood MI | 3,132 | $88K | 11.4% | 2.7% | 3% | A− |
| 1,011 | Ferrysburg MI | 2,955 | $70K | 8.5% | 0.8% | 3% | A− |
| 1,012 | Clever MO | 3,143 | $78K | 5.9% | 2.1% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,562 | 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.
Rockwood and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Brownstown Township (4%). Darker towns draw more of Rockwood’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Rockwood workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockwood | – | A− | C− | 29 min | $88,080 |
| Berlin Township | under 3% | B+ | D | 29 min | $85,077 |
| South Rockwood | under 3% | B | D | 27 min | $78,203 |
| Flat Rock | under 3% | B− | B | 29 min | $81,585 |
| Brownstown Township | 4% | B+ | C+ | 25 min | $95,402 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Rockwood: questions
What is the median household income in Rockwood?
$88,080 (±$22,634) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Rockwood?
11.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Rockwood?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Rockwood work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (9%, 23 mi), Dearborn (7%, 17 mi), Livonia (5%, 24 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Rockwood walkable?
Rockwood is more walkable than 17% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Rockwood without a car?
0% 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 Rockwood, from the people who make the trip.
More of Rockwood
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.