Watson Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.0 for each
4% of workers have no commute at all (Michigan 14%). Employers in Watson Township report 42 jobs; 929 of its residents have a job. The two grades for Watson Township are C+ for jobs and income and D for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Watson Township stands out on work
Watson Township is a place people come home to
There are 42 jobs based in Watson Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Watson Township has about 1,400 people in it, 39% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Few Watson Township workers work from home
Only 4% of workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Almost everyone here travels to a job. 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 929 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The figures behind Watson Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty and job access, Watson Township is better than 39% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Watson Township’s grade up (ahead of 68% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (16.3%, U.S. 12.5%).
Unemployment (1.0%) is left out: Watson Township’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, Watson Township could be anywhere from C− to B.
The workday shuffle in and out of Watson Township
On a workday 921 residents head out to work, 8 work right here, and 34 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,400 people are in Watson Township on a workday afternoon, 39% 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.
How long Watson Township spends getting to work: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Watson Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 921 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.
8% of working residents work in Martin Township
Where Watson Township 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.
Making and building: 67% of jobs based in Watson Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Watson Township, 2011 → 2021: 3 → 42. 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 Watson Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Watson Township to work
About 16% 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.
Getting around Watson Township: mostly by car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Watson Township is more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 1.2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 3.8% across Michigan, on an EPA index of 3.5.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 954 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). 0.4% of Watson Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Watson Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Watson Township places 2,916th of 5,328 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,600 to 3,100
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 93 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 134 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 216 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,914 | Philipsburg PA | 2,674 | $48K | 12.5% | 2.1% | 6% | C+ |
| 2,915 | Surry ME | 1,692 | $75K | 7.0% | 4.8% | 2% | C+ |
| 2,916 | Watson Township MI | 2,264 | $65K | 16.3% | 1.0% | 1% | C+ |
| 2,917 | Arthur Township MN | 1,856 | $72K | 7.1% | 7.9% | 1% | C+ |
| 2,918 | Warm Springs CA | 1,673 | $70K | 24.0% | 7.3% | <1% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,328 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Watson Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Bordering towns draw 10% of Watson Township’s workers
The biggest share goes to Martin Township (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Watson Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watson Township | – | C+ | D | 27 min | $65,469 |
| Allegan Township | under 3% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Martin Township | 8% | B− | C | 27 min | $72,125 |
| Hopkins Township | 2% | B+ | B | 26 min | $88,825 |
| Otsego Township | under 3% | B+ | B− | 19 min | $74,145 |
Same-state neighbors only. Allegan Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Watson Township’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 Watson Township: questions
What is the median household income in Watson Township?
$65,469 (±$11,517) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Watson Township?
16.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Watson Township?
27 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Watson Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Martin Township (8%, 6 mi), Allegan (7%, 6 mi), Grand Rapids (6%, 29 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Watson Township walkable?
Watson Township is more walkable than 11% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 3.5 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Watson Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and <1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Watson Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Watson Township
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.