Unemployment in Salem Township (0.4%) is lower than in 98% of U.S. towns
Only 6% work in Salem Township itself; outside it, Grand Rapids draws the most (9%, 19 miles). For jobs and income Salem Township is better than 93% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns (D). Poverty touches 2.9% of residents; Michigan has 13.2%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Salem Township and work: the main findings
Jobs in Salem Township have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Salem Township went from 313 in 2011 to 629 in 2021, +101%. The jobs ↓
Salem Township is a place people come home to
There are 629 jobs based in Salem Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Salem Township has about 3,200 people in it, 39% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Salem Township makes and builds things
38% of the jobs based in Salem Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Salem Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 35%. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Why Salem Township gets the Jobs & income grade it does
Unemployment is its strongest input; household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($89,034, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and 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 two years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Salem Township could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Salem Township works in goods: 38% of its jobs
629 jobs are based in Salem Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Salem Township, 2011 → 2021: 313 → 629. 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 Salem Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Salem Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 2,500 residents head out to work, 171 work right here, and 458 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,200 people are in Salem Township on a workday afternoon, 39% fewer than live here.
0.24 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.
Out of Salem Township to work: where people go
Where Salem Township clocks in
6% 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.
Time on the road from Salem Township: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Salem Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,262 commuters (the 14% 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.
Half of Salem Township commutes less than 14 miles
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.
In Salem Township, the car does most of the work
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 2,635 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). 2.9% of Salem Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Salem Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Salem Township ranks: 294th of 3,582 U.S. towns of 3,700 to 7,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 129 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 292 | Fort Wright KY | 6,240 | $105K | 3.0% | 3.4% | 4% | A |
| 293 | Fancy Creek Township IL | 5,806 | $145K | 4.1% | 1.9% | 6% | A |
| 294 | Salem Township MI | 5,269 | $89K | 2.9% | 0.4% | 6% | A |
| 295 | Taycheedah WI | 4,690 | $106K | 3.1% | 1.1% | 3% | A |
| 296 | North Oaks MN | 5,283 | $232K | 5.1% | 4.0% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,582 | 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 Salem Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Salem Township and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Dorr Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Salem Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem Township | – | A | D | 27 min | $89,034 |
| Overisel Township | under 3% | A | C− | 21 min | $101,331 |
| Monterey Township | under 3% | B− | C | 32 min | $91,207 |
| Jamestown Township | under 3% | A+ | D | 20 min | $119,676 |
| Dorr Township | 4% | A− | D | 28 min | $97,542 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Salem 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 Salem Township: questions
What is the median household income in Salem Township?
$89,034 (±$20,232) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Salem Township?
2.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Salem Township?
27 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Salem Township work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grand Rapids (9%, 19 mi), Wyoming (7%, 14 mi), Holland (6%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Salem Township walkable?
Salem Township is more walkable than 6% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 4.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Salem Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Salem Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Salem 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.