Trenton has 0.5 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Only 7% work in Trenton itself; outside it, Detroit draws the most (12%, 17 miles). 4,403 jobs are based in Trenton for 8,200 working residents. Trenton grades 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
What the numbers say about work in Trenton
Trenton makes and builds things
43% of the jobs based in Trenton are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Trenton residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 16%. The jobs ↓
Trenton has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Trenton went from 3,195 in 2011 to 4,403 in 2021, +38%. 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.
Where Trenton’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Trenton is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #134 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 84% of U.S. towns); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($82,212, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and 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, Trenton could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Goods, not services: 43% of the jobs in Trenton
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Trenton, 2011 → 2021: 3,195 → 4,403. 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 Trenton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Trenton quiets down on a workday
On a workday 7,621 residents head out to work, 579 work right here, and 3,824 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Trenton on a workday afternoon, 21% fewer than live here.
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 the trip to work from Trenton ends
Where Trenton clocks in
8% 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.
The trip to work from Trenton: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Trenton workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,880 commuters (the 13% 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 Trenton’s workers travel
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.
Trenton is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Trenton is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #204 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 7,943 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). 5.4% of Trenton households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Trenton’s commuters take a bus or train.
633rd of 2,103: where Trenton ranks among U.S. towns of 12,000 to 24,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | Southfield Township MI | 14,671 | $185K | 4.7% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Berkley MI | 15,145 | $116K | 4.5% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 631 | South Hadley MA | 17,768 | $94K | 7.5% | 2.8% | 13% | A− |
| 632 | Morton IL | 17,565 | $94K | 6.5% | 2.8% | 22% | A− |
| 633 | Trenton MI | 17,849 | $82K | 5.5% | 3.3% | 7% | A− |
| 634 | Manvel TX | 20,699 | $119K | 5.7% | 5.8% | 1% | A− |
| 635 | Roxbury Township NJ | 23,427 | $135K | 3.9% | 6.8% | 8% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,103 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Trenton, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around Trenton: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Woodhaven (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Trenton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton | – | A− | B | 25 min | $82,212 |
| Grosse Ile Township | under 4% | A− | C+ | 31 min | $126,582 |
| Woodhaven | 3% | B− | C+ | 24 min | $78,648 |
| Riverview | under 4% | A− | B+ | 24 min | $73,468 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Trenton’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 Trenton: questions
What is the median household income in Trenton?
$82,212 (±$8,398) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Trenton?
5.5%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Trenton?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Trenton work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Detroit (12%, 17 mi), Dearborn (8%, 12 mi), Wyandotte (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Trenton walkable?
Trenton is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Trenton without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Trenton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Trenton
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.