With 0.1 jobs for every working resident, most of South Branch Township works elsewhere
There are 55 jobs in South Branch Township, and 506 of its residents work somewhere. The two grades for South Branch Township are D for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 85% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where South Branch Township stands out on work
South Branch Township is a place people come home to
There are 55 jobs based in South Branch Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday South Branch Township has about 1,300 people in it, 25% 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 ↓
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 506 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Where South Branch Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty and job access, South Branch Township is better than 5% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds South Branch Township’s grade up (16.7%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 2% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (8.0%) is left out: South Branch Township’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
The commuting and job counts on this page are Census LEHD 2021: Michigan reports later than other states, so its newest year is three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, South Branch Township could be anywhere from D− to C−.
A workday in South Branch Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 484 residents head out to work, 22 work right here, and 33 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,300 people are in South Branch Township on a workday afternoon, 25% 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.
Miles to work from South Branch Township
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.
10% of working residents work in Grayling
Where South Branch Township clocks in
Lines 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.
Factories, building and farms: 31% of the jobs in South Branch Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Branch Township, 2011 → 2021: 17 → 55. 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 South Branch Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from South Branch Township: about 21 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Branch Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 624 commuters (the 7% 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.
Most of South Branch Township commutes by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Branch Township is more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 6.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 2.8.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 674 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). 9.7% of South Branch Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of South Branch Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where South Branch Township sits among U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 1% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 104 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 218 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 263 | Sylvan Lake MI | 1,685 | $106K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,565 | Chase City VA | 2,054 | $46K | 17.1% | 0.5% | 9% | D |
| 5,566 | Jackson Township IN | 1,738 | $55K | 33.6% | 8.5% | <1% | D |
| 5,567 | South Branch Township MI | 1,779 | $52K | 16.7% | 8.0% | 4% | D |
| 5,568 | Leon NY | 1,259 | $56K | 21.8% | 2.5% | 1% | D |
| 5,569 | Searles Valley CA | 1,713 | $63K | 24.3% | 11.1% | 20% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 6,085 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 7% | 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 South Branch Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
South Branch Township and its neighbors: 21% work next door
The biggest share goes to Higgins Township (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Branch Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Branch Township | – | D | C+ | 21 min | $52,292 |
| Grayling Township | 8% | D | B− | 25 min | $65,127 |
| Au Sable Township | under 2% | — | — | 30 min | — |
| Big Creek Township | under 2% | D− | C | 32 min | $48,438 |
| Beaver Creek Township | 4% | D | D | 24 min | $61,121 |
| Lovells Township | under 2% | — | — | 32 min | — |
| Higgins Township | 9% | C− | C+ | 20 min | $55,313 |
Same-state neighbors only. Au Sable Township and Lovells Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Branch 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 South Branch Township: questions
What is the median household income in South Branch Township?
$52,292 (±$15,398) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Branch Township?
16.7%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Branch Township?
21 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Branch Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Grayling (10%, 14 mi), Higgins Township (9%, 13 mi), Grayling Township (8%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is South Branch Township walkable?
South Branch Township is more walkable than 39% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 2.8 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Branch Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Branch Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Branch 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.