Work and commuting in West Monroe
Only 3% stay in West Monroe for work; outside it, Monroe is the main destination (15%, 2 miles). For 1% of workers, the job is at home, against 14% across Michigan. Working residents average 25 minutes each way, where Michigan has 24 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: West Monroe in brief
West Monroe and Monroe trade workers both ways
Monroe is the top workplace for West Monroe residents (15%) and also where the most people who work in West Monroe come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
West Monroe makes and builds things
44% of the jobs based in West Monroe are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs West Monroe residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 22%. The jobs ↓
Few West Monroe workers work from home
Only 1% of workers work from home, against 14% across Michigan. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
West Monroe has added jobs fast
Jobs based in West Monroe went from 558 in 2011 to 751 in 2021, +35%. 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.
The places West Monroe commutes to
Where West Monroe clocks in
15% of workers
9% 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: 44% of jobs based in West Monroe
751 jobs are based in West Monroe.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Monroe, 2011 → 2021: 558 → 751. 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 Monroe’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 25 minutes to work from West Monroe
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Monroe workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,169 commuters (the 1% 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 West Monroe, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,259 residents head out to work, 36 work right here, and 715 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,200 people are in West Monroe on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.58 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.
How far West Monroe goes to work
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.
West Monroe and its neighbors: 22% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Monroe workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Monroe | – | — | — | 25 min | $48,317 |
| Monroe | 15% | C | A− | 21 min | $59,813 |
| Frenchtown Township | 7% | C+ | C+ | 25 min | $66,225 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Monroe. Darker towns draw more of West Monroe’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 Monroe: questions
What is the median household income in West Monroe?
$48,317 (±$8,141) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Monroe?
31.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Monroe?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 1% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Monroe work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Monroe (15%, 2 mi), Monroe Township (9%, 2 mi), Frenchtown Township (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around West Monroe without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Monroe, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Monroe
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.