West Traverse Township has 0.6 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Jobs & income B−: better than 52% of U.S. towns on income, poverty and job access.
Walkability B−: more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns.
Household incomes here are higher than in 72% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 24 minutes each way (Michigan 24, U.S. 26). Only 4% work in West Traverse Township; the top destination outside it is Petoskey (18%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from West Traverse Township
A lot of West Traverse Township works one town over
26% of working residents work in a town that borders West Traverse Township: Harbor Springs (8%), Little Traverse Township (8%) and Pleasantview Township (5%). Next door ↓
West Traverse Township makes and builds things
48% of the jobs based in West Traverse Township are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs West Traverse Township residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 19%. 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 624 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
What’s behind West Traverse Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty and job access, West Traverse Township is better than 52% of U.S. towns. Household income holds West Traverse Township’s grade up ($93,929, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 13% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate.
Unemployment (4.6%) is left out: West Traverse 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, West Traverse Township could be anywhere from C+ to B.
West Traverse Township makes things: 48% of its jobs are in goods
382 jobs are based in West Traverse Township. Here is what they are, next to the jobs West Traverse Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in West Traverse Township, 2011 → 2021: 298 → 382. 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.
West Traverse Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 598 residents head out to work, 26 work right here, and 356 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,500 people are in West Traverse Township on a workday afternoon, 14% fewer than live here.
0.61 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.
18% of working residents work in Petoskey
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where West Traverse Township clocks in
18% of workers
9% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
About 24 minutes each way, about the MI average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of West Traverse Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 622 commuters (the 15% who work from home are left out). Across Michigan: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Half of West Traverse Township commutes less than 7 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 23% 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.
Most trips from West Traverse Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, West Traverse Township is more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns. Both inputs place West Traverse Township 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 731 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). 1.7% of West Traverse Township households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of West Traverse Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
West Traverse Township is 2,053rd of 5,760 U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,300 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of West Traverse Township, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
| # | 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 |
| … | |||||||
| 2,051 | Mount Haley Township MI | 1,600 | $77K | 8.0% | 8.0% | <1% | B− |
| 2,052 | Limestone Township PA | 1,739 | $88K | 9.3% | 1.2% | 2% | B− |
| 2,053 | West Traverse Township MI | 1,740 | $94K | 6.8% | 4.6% | 4% | B− |
| 2,054 | Diamond Ridge AK | 1,329 | $88K | 3.9% | 2.3% | — | B− |
| 2,055 | Sims Township IN | 1,668 | $75K | 7.0% | 1.9% | 2% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 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.
26% of West Traverse Township works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Harbor Springs (8%). Darker towns draw more of West Traverse Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | West Traverse Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Traverse Township | – | B− | B− | 24 min | $93,929 |
| Harbor Springs | 8% | C+ | A | 17 min | $75,417 |
| Little Traverse Township | 8% | B+ | C | 18 min | $88,368 |
| Pleasantview Township | 5% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Friendship Township | 5% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Pleasantview Township and Friendship Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Traverse Township: questions
What is the median household income in West Traverse Township?
$93,929 (±$13,726) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in West Traverse Township?
6.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from West Traverse Township?
24 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 15% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in West Traverse Township work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Petoskey (18%, 7 mi), Bear Creek Township (9%, 9 mi), Harbor Springs (8%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is West Traverse Township walkable?
West Traverse Township is more walkable than 46% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 6.3 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around West Traverse Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from West Traverse Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of West Traverse 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.