Households in Springfield have lower incomes than those in 93% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 19.1% of residents, against 13.2% across Michigan. The two grades for Springfield are C− for jobs and income and B for walkability. Working from home is the commute for 2% of workers (Michigan 14%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Springfield apart
Springfield trades workers with the towns around it
Springfield has about as many jobs (1,768) as working residents (1,940), but they are mostly different people: 1,860 residents leave for work each day while 1,688 people come in. Only 5% of the jobs in Springfield are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Springfield and Battle Creek trade workers both ways
Battle Creek is the top workplace for Springfield residents (37%) and also where the most people who work in Springfield come from (27% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Springfield has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Springfield went from 1,031 in 2011 to 1,768 in 2021, +71%. The jobs ↓
Few Springfield workers work from home
Only 3% of workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
Commutes from Springfield are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 24 across Michigan. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Michigan worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Income, poverty and work: Springfield’s grade explained
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Springfield is better than 15% of U.S. towns, #637 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Springfield’s grade up (ahead of 69% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (9.7%, 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, Springfield could be anywhere from D to C.
The daily flow of workers through Springfield
On a workday 1,860 residents head out to work, 80 work right here, and 1,688 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.91 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
37% of working residents work in Battle Creek
Where Springfield clocks in
37% 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.
In Springfield, 28% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
1,768 jobs are based in Springfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Springfield, 2011 → 2021: 1,031 → 1,768. 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 Springfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Springfield: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Springfield workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,260 commuters (the 3% 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 far Springfield’s workers travel
About 19% 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.
The commute in Springfield is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Springfield is more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns, #200 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Springfield 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 2,318 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). 6.1% of Springfield households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Springfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 3,582 U.S. towns of 3,700 to 7,100, Springfield comes 3,124th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Northville MI | 6,013 | $146K | 2.8% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 129 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,122 | Ticonderoga NY | 4,549 | $65K | 17.4% | 4.8% | 38% | C− |
| 3,123 | Combee Settlement FL | 5,242 | $40K | 27.3% | 7.1% | 1% | C− |
| 3,124 | Springfield MI | 5,246 | $45K | 19.1% | 9.7% | 4% | C− |
| 3,125 | Penns Grove NJ | 4,934 | $46K | 44.1% | 13.0% | 4% | C− |
| 3,126 | Mineola TX | 5,537 | $53K | 12.2% | 10.7% | 19% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,582 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Springfield, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Springfield and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Bedford Township (4%).
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Springfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | – | C− | B | 19 min | $44,808 |
| Bedford Township | 4% | C | D | 19 min | $67,695 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Springfield’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 Springfield: questions
What is the median household income in Springfield?
$44,808 (±$9,093) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Springfield?
19.1%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Springfield?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Springfield work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Battle Creek (37%, 2 mi), Emmett Township (4%, 7 mi), Bedford Township (4%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Springfield walkable?
Springfield is more walkable than 58% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Springfield 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 Springfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Springfield
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.