Photo: Nanamac47 · CC BY-SA 3.0There are 2.2 jobs in South Haven for every working resident, and 2,661 people commute in
Jobs and income earn South Haven C+; getting around on foot earns it A. South Haven has 3,026 jobs for 1,369 working residents. About one in four work in South Haven; the top destination outside it is Kalamazoo (5%, 36 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where South Haven stands out on work
Inside South Haven’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Haven is better than 43% of U.S. towns, #450 of 701 in Michigan. Unemployment holds South Haven’s grade up (2.9%, U.S. 5.2%); the poverty rate pulls it down (15.8%, U.S. 12.5%).
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, poverty and unemployment, South Haven could be anywhere from C− to B+.
In and out of South Haven on a workday
On a workday 1,004 residents head out to work and 365 work right here.
About 5,700 people are in South Haven on a workday afternoon, 41% more than live here.
2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where South Haven’s workers come from
Where South Haven clocks in
5% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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.
What South Haven’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Haven, 2011 → 2021: 3,113 → 3,026. 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 Haven’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from South Haven: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Haven workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,349 commuters (the 20% 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.
How many miles South Haven commutes
About 24% 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.
In South Haven, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Haven is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #50 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place South Haven near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,692 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). 5.9% of South Haven households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of South Haven’s commuters take a bus or train.
South Haven next to U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,400: 2,439th of 4,177 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 125 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,437 | Washington Township IN | 3,428 | $51K | 6.6% | 4.1% | 2% | C+ |
| 2,438 | Hilltop SC | 2,950 | $37K | 17.0% | 2.4% | 4% | C+ |
| 2,439 | South Haven MI | 4,002 | $68K | 15.8% | 2.9% | 27% | C+ |
| 2,440 | Jerome Township MI | 4,613 | $80K | 12.8% | 4.6% | 5% | C+ |
| 2,441 | Rives Township MI | 4,794 | $86K | 10.5% | 8.9% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,177 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 Haven, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around South Haven: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to South Haven Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Haven workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Haven | – | C+ | A | 20 min | $68,239 |
| South Haven Township | 4% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Casco Township | 2% | B− | B− | 30 min | $84,637 |
Same-state neighbors only. South Haven Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Haven’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 Haven: questions
What is the median household income in South Haven?
$68,239 (±$8,498) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Haven?
15.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Haven?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Haven work?
27% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Kalamazoo (5%, 36 mi), South Haven Township (4%, 3 mi), Holland (3%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is South Haven walkable?
South Haven is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 9.0 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Haven without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Haven, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Haven
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.