Households in West Branch have lower incomes than those in 95% of U.S. towns
23.1% of residents live below the poverty line, where Michigan as a whole has 13.2%. Jobs and income earn West Branch D−; getting around on foot earns it A−. 3% of workers have no commute at all; Michigan has 14%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in West Branch, in a few figures
West Branch is where the jobs are
West Branch has 2,188 jobs, 2.7 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 3,800 people are in town, 59% more than the 2,400 who live here. Day and night ↓
A big share show a job far from home
40% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Fewer than half of West Branch workers earn over $40,000 a year
42% of West Branch’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 23% earn $1,250 a month or less. 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; with 801 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The four measures behind West Branch’s grade
On income, poverty and job access, West Branch is better than 4% of U.S. towns. All three inputs sit close together, so no single one decides West Branch’s grade.
Unemployment (7.0%) is left out: West Branch’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, West Branch could be anywhere from D− to D.
The daily commute in and out of West Branch
On a workday 615 residents head out to work, 186 work right here, and 2,002 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,800 people are in West Branch on a workday afternoon, 59% more than live here.
2.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Half of West Branch commutes less than 25 miles
About 40% 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.
Inside West Branch’s 2,188 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Branch, 2011 → 2021: 2,551 → 2,188. 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 West Branch’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where West Branch’s workforce comes from
Where West Branch clocks in
2% 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.
A commute of about 22 minutes in West Branch
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Branch workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 697 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.
West Branch is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Branch is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place West Branch 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 716 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). 16.9% of West Branch households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of West Branch’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Branch next to U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,200
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 94 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 135 | Village of Grosse Pointe Shores MI | 2,533 | $190K | 2.7% | 3.5% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,733 | East Ellijay GA | 1,816 | $29K | 26.8% | 2.5% | 8% | D− |
| 4,734 | Dawson Springs KY | 2,231 | $33K | 30.5% | 11.3% | 17% | D− |
| 4,735 | West Branch MI | 2,370 | $41K | 23.1% | 7.0% | 23% | D− |
| 4,736 | Eden TX | 2,248 | $47K | 17.3% | 2.7% | 15% | D− |
| 4,737 | La Luz NM | 1,797 | $47K | 15.0% | 26.4% | 4% | D− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,995 | 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 West Branch, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door is work for 15% of West Branch
The biggest share goes to West Branch Township (13%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Branch workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch | – | D− | A− | 22 min | $41,250 |
| West Branch Township | 13% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Ogemaw Township | 2% | B− | C+ | 23 min | $76,346 |
Same-state neighbors only. West Branch Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of West Branch’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 West Branch: questions
What is the median household income in West Branch?
$41,250 (±$8,854) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Branch?
23.1%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Branch?
22 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 3% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Branch work?
23% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are West Branch Township (13%, 4 mi), Saginaw Township (2%, 58 mi), Ogemaw Township (2%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is West Branch walkable?
West Branch is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.6 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Branch without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 17% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Branch, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Branch
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.