Households in Watervliet have lower incomes than those in 72% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Watervliet are C for jobs and income and C for walkability. Below the poverty line: 15.9% of residents, next to 13.2% for Michigan as a whole. Only 6% work in Watervliet itself; outside it, Benton Township draws the most (14%, 9 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Watervliet apart on work
Fewer jobs are based in Watervliet than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Watervliet fell from 1,027 in 2011 to 402 in 2021, −61%. 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 ↓
Commutes from Watervliet 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; with 566 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Watervliet
On income, poverty and job access, Watervliet is better than 28% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Watervliet’s grade up (ahead of 53% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
Unemployment (4.0%) is left out: Watervliet’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
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 and poverty, Watervliet could be anywhere from C− to B−.
Jobs in Watervliet: what the 402 are
402 jobs are based in Watervliet.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Watervliet, 2011 → 2021: 1,027 → 402. 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 Watervliet’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 19 minutes to work from Watervliet
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Watervliet workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 817 commuters (the 10% 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.
Who works in Watervliet, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 534 residents head out to work, 32 work right here, and 370 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,600 people are in Watervliet on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
0.71 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.
Where people from Watervliet work
Where Watervliet clocks in
7% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Watervliet
About 25% 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.
Watervliet is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Watervliet is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Watervliet 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 909 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). 9.6% of Watervliet households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Watervliet’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,300, Watervliet ranks 3,514th of 5,760 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 99 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 206 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 249 | Sylvan Lake MI | 1,685 | $106K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,512 | Rumney NH | 1,479 | $79K | 10.4% | 5.3% | 9% | C |
| 3,513 | Manson IA | 1,617 | $66K | 8.9% | 5.2% | 14% | C |
| 3,514 | Watervliet MI | 1,720 | $61K | 15.9% | 4.0% | 6% | C |
| 3,515 | Paw Paw Township IN | 1,553 | $68K | 11.5% | 2.3% | 1% | C |
| 3,516 | Brockway Township MI | 1,880 | $82K | 13.4% | 5.6% | 1% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 5,760 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | 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 Watervliet, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
How Watervliet compares with the towns next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Watervliet workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watervliet | – | C | C | 19 min | $61,167 |
| Paw Paw Lake | under 3% | — | — | 31 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Paw Paw Lake: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Watervliet’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 Watervliet: questions
What is the median household income in Watervliet?
$61,167 (±$12,710) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Watervliet?
15.9%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Watervliet?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Watervliet work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Benton Township (14%, 9 mi), St. Joseph (7%, 13 mi), Grand Rapids (5%, 62 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Watervliet walkable?
Watervliet is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Watervliet without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Watervliet, from the people who make the trip.
More of Watervliet
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.