Photo: Dave Parker · CC BY 3.0There are 3.1 jobs in Southfield for every working resident, and 85,224 people commute in
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.4 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 7.2 in Detroit. 88,414 jobs are based in Southfield for 28,957 working residents. Southfield grades B− for jobs and income and A− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Southfield at work: what stands out
Southfield has far more jobs than workers
Southfield has 88,414 jobs, 3.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 136,000 people are in town, 78% more than the 76,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Southfield draws workers from far and wide
The 88,414 jobs in Southfield are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 30%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Southfield and Detroit trade workers both ways
Detroit is the top workplace for Southfield residents (20%) and also where the most people who work in Southfield come from (11% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
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.
How Southfield earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Southfield is better than 51% of U.S. towns, #398 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Southfield’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.9%, U.S. 5.2%).
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, Southfield could be anywhere from C+ to B.
Southfield on a workday afternoon
On a workday 25,767 residents head out to work and 3,190 work right here.
About 136,000 people are in Southfield on a workday afternoon, 78% more than live here.
3.1 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 Southfield’s workers come from
Where Southfield clocks in
5% of workers
4% 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.
Most jobs in Southfield are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Southfield, 2011 → 2021: 97,750 → 88,414. 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 Southfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 24 minutes in Southfield
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Southfield workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 29,755 commuters (the 17% 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.
Miles to work from Southfield
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.
Southfield is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Southfield is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #72 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Southfield 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 35,865 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 18% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 3% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 63% 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). 10.0% of Southfield households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Southfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Southfield is 394th among 590 U.S. towns of 53,000 to 103,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Canton Township MI | 99,714 | $121K | 5.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 68 | Rochester Hills MI | 77,539 | $121K | 5.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Troy MI | 88,733 | $120K | 5.4% | 4.4% | 20% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 392 | Ogden UT | 89,510 | $73K | 13.7% | 4.1% | 36% | B− |
| 393 | Bellflower CA | 74,719 | $79K | 13.3% | 7.6% | 5% | B− |
| 394 | Southfield MI | 76,111 | $68K | 10.3% | 6.9% | 11% | B− |
| 395 | Taunton MA | 62,522 | $79K | 13.0% | 5.8% | 16% | B− |
| 396 | Missoula MT | 78,903 | $70K | 11.8% | 3.8% | 72% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 590 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Southfield, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
24% of Southfield works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Detroit (20%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Southfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southfield | – | B− | A− | 24 min | $68,166 |
| Southfield Township | under 3% | A+ | B− | 23 min | $184,531 |
| Beverly Hills | under 3% | A+ | B− | 23 min | $177,412 |
| Bingham Farms | under 3% | A− | C+ | 23 min | $244,618 |
| Oak Park | under 3% | C+ | B+ | 23 min | $71,510 |
| Franklin | under 3% | A+ | B− | 26 min | $194,079 |
| Farmington Hills | 4% | A− | B− | 25 min | $104,836 |
| Detroit | 20% | C− | A+ | 25 min | $39,938 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Southfield’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 Southfield: questions
What is the median household income in Southfield?
$68,166 (±$2,471) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Southfield?
10.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Southfield?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Southfield work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (20%, 10 mi), Troy (5%, 10 mi), Warren (4%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Southfield walkable?
Southfield is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Southfield without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 3% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Southfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Southfield
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.