Most of Sand Lake commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
The average commute takes 37 minutes each way (Michigan 24, U.S. 26). There are 33 jobs in Sand Lake for 416 working residents. Hardly any stay in Sand Lake for work; outside it, Tawas City is the main destination (8%, 8 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Sand Lake: the figures worth knowing
Sand Lake is a place people come home to
There are 33 jobs based in Sand Lake, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Sand Lake has about 970 people in it, 28% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
40% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Sand Lake workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 100 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; with 416 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Who works in Sand Lake, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 415 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 32 people come in from elsewhere.
About 970 people are in Sand Lake on a workday afternoon, 28% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Sand Lake
About 40% 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.
Time on the road from Sand Lake: about 37 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Sand Lake workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 357 commuters (the 12% 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.
Where Sand Lake’s working residents head each day
Where Sand Lake clocks in
8% 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.
In Sand Lake, 36% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Sand Lake, 2011 → 2021: 29 → 33. 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 Sand Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Sand Lake and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Tawas Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Sand Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Lake | – | — | — | 37 min | $58,162 |
| Tawas Township | 4% | D | C | 25 min | $59,531 |
| Wilber Township | under 3% | — | — | 26 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wilber Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Sand Lake’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 Sand Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Sand Lake?
$58,162 (±$7,890) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Sand Lake?
16.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Sand Lake?
37 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Sand Lake work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Tawas City (8%, 8 mi), Plainfield Township (7%, 8 mi), East Tawas (5%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Sand Lake 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 Sand Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Sand Lake
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.