Photo: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0Household incomes in South Lyon are higher than in 71% of U.S. towns
Only 6% stay in South Lyon for work; outside it, Livonia is the main destination (6%, 15 miles). Poverty touches 4.0% of residents, against 13.2% across Michigan. The two grades for South Lyon are A for jobs and income and B for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set South Lyon apart
No single place dominates South Lyon’s commute
The biggest draw, Livonia, gets only 6% of working residents, and 54% work outside the top ten towns entirely. South Lyon residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
South Lyon workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 32 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 245 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
South Lyon has added jobs fast
Jobs based in South Lyon went from 2,319 in 2011 to 3,286 in 2021, +42%. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside South Lyon
65% of South Lyon residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 46% of the jobs based in South Lyon pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in South Lyon pay little
28% of the jobs based in South Lyon pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 30% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. 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.
What’s behind South Lyon’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, South Lyon is better than 86% of U.S. towns, #97 of 701 in Michigan. The poverty rate is its strongest input; unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.7%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and unemployment 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 three years behind.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, South Lyon could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Where South Lyon’s working residents head each day
Where South Lyon clocks in
6% of workers
6% of workers
5% 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.
From South Lyon, about 32 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of South Lyon workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,497 commuters (the 16% 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.
What South Lyon’s employers do
3,286 jobs are based in South Lyon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in South Lyon, 2011 → 2021: 2,319 → 3,286. 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 Lyon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes South Lyon
On a workday 4,805 residents head out to work, 301 work right here, and 2,985 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in South Lyon on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.64 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.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from South Lyon
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 Lyon, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, South Lyon is more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns, #194 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.7% 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 6,556 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 under 0.1 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). 2.5% of South Lyon households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of South Lyon’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, South Lyon is 596th of 2,695 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 16,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Grosse Pointe Farms MI | 9,735 | $161K | 2.5% | 1.9% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 594 | Gig Harbor WA | 12,630 | $118K | 7.0% | 2.7% | 10% | A |
| 595 | Druid Hills GA | 8,169 | $130K | 9.3% | 3.6% | 2% | A |
| 596 | South Lyon MI | 12,107 | $92K | 4.0% | 3.7% | 6% | A |
| 597 | Big Lake MN | 12,929 | $121K | 5.6% | 3.2% | 6% | A |
| 598 | Macedonia OH | 12,147 | $101K | 4.1% | 4.4% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,695 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 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 Lyon, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work in the towns next to South Lyon
The biggest share goes to Lyon Township (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | South Lyon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Lyon | – | A | B | 32 min | $92,467 |
| Lyon Township | 5% | A | C+ | 30 min | $146,354 |
| Green Oak Township | under 3% | A | C− | 32 min | $119,335 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of South Lyon’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 Lyon: questions
What is the median household income in South Lyon?
$92,467 (±$13,249) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in South Lyon?
4.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from South Lyon?
32 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in South Lyon work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Livonia (6%, 15 mi), Novi (6%, 9 mi), Farmington Hills (5%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is South Lyon walkable?
South Lyon is more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.4 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around South Lyon without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from South Lyon, from the people who make the trip.
More of South Lyon
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.