Households in Southgate earn less than those in 64% of U.S. towns
9.4% of residents are in poverty, where Michigan as a whole has 13.2%. The two grades for Southgate are B for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. Only 6% stay in Southgate for work; outside it, Detroit is the main destination (13%, 13 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Southgate in brief
The better-paid jobs are outside Southgate
57% of Southgate residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 36% of the jobs based in Southgate pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Southgate than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Southgate fell from 10,137 in 2011 to 7,622 in 2021, −25%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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.
The figures behind Southgate’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Southgate is better than 60% of U.S. towns, #321 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Southgate’s grade up (ahead of 87% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($66,118, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment.
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, Southgate could be anywhere from B− to B+.
The 7,622 jobs based in Southgate
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Southgate, 2011 → 2021: 10,137 → 7,622. 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 Southgate’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Southgate by day and by night
On a workday 12,159 residents head out to work, 743 work right here, and 6,879 people come in from elsewhere.
About 24,000 people are in Southgate on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.59 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.
The places Southgate commutes to
Where Southgate clocks in
8% 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.
The daily trip from Southgate: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Southgate workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,325 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Southgate
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 Southgate, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Southgate is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns, #128 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.5% 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 14,020 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). 7.2% of Southgate households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Southgate’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Southgate is 842nd of 1,467 U.S. towns of 20,000 to 39,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Northville Township MI | 31,399 | $151K | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Oakland Township MI | 20,631 | $167K | 2.7% | 3.0% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Cascade Township MI | 20,201 | $136K | 4.6% | 2.6% | 14% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 840 | Rosedale MD | 20,002 | $86K | 10.1% | 6.4% | 3% | B |
| 841 | Niles IL | 30,443 | $75K | 8.5% | 6.7% | 7% | B |
| 842 | Southgate MI | 28,931 | $66K | 9.4% | 4.2% | 6% | B |
| 843 | Owatonna MN | 26,633 | $81K | 9.2% | 3.6% | 56% | B |
| 844 | Culpeper VA | 22,074 | $95K | 12.8% | 2.3% | 22% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,467 | Barstow CA | 24,804 | $53K | 23.1% | 11.9% | 17% | 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 Southgate, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around Southgate: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Wyandotte (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Southgate workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southgate | – | B | B+ | 24 min | $66,118 |
| Allen Park | under 2% | B+ | C+ | 24 min | $81,655 |
| Wyandotte | 4% | B | B+ | 24 min | $71,987 |
| Lincoln Park | under 2% | C | B | 24 min | $58,616 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Southgate’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 Southgate: questions
What is the median household income in Southgate?
$66,118 (±$3,369) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Southgate?
9.4%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Southgate?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Southgate work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (13%, 13 mi), Dearborn (8%, 8 mi), Taylor (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Southgate walkable?
Southgate is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 9.0 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Southgate without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Southgate, from the people who make the trip.
More of Southgate
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.