Photo: PeRshGo · CC BY-SA 4.0With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Westland works elsewhere
14,589 jobs are based in Westland for 34,209 working residents. Westland grades C+ for jobs and income and B− for walkability. Only 6% stay in Westland for work; outside it, Livonia is the main destination (11%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Westland
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Westland is better than 42% of U.S. towns, #465 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car holds Westland’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.0%, U.S. 5.2%).
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, poverty and unemployment, Westland could be anywhere from C to B−.
Westland on a workday afternoon
On a workday 32,198 residents head out to work, 2,011 work right here, and 12,578 people come in from elsewhere.
About 63,000 people are in Westland on a workday afternoon, 24% 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.
The places Westland commutes to
Where Westland clocks in
11% of workers
6% 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.
What Westland’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Westland, 2011 → 2021: 18,851 → 14,589. 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 Westland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Each way, about 25 minutes from Westland
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Westland workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 35,547 commuters (the 11% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Westland
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.
Westland is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Westland is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns, #242 of 701 in Michigan. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.8% across Michigan.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 40,054 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.7% of Westland households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Westland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Westland is 417th among 546 U.S. towns of 58,000 to 111,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 49 | Canton Township MI | 99,714 | $121K | 5.5% | 3.6% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 66 | Rochester Hills MI | 77,539 | $121K | 5.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Troy MI | 88,733 | $120K | 5.4% | 4.4% | 20% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 415 | Medford OR | 86,494 | $73K | 13.2% | 5.3% | 55% | C+ |
| 416 | Deerfield Beach FL | 89,339 | $60K | 15.1% | 5.4% | 12% | C+ |
| 417 | Westland MI | 82,333 | $62K | 14.3% | 6.0% | 6% | C+ |
| 418 | Kennewick WA | 88,366 | $74K | 14.3% | 5.1% | 29% | C+ |
| 419 | Carson City NV | 58,571 | $72K | 10.3% | 5.5% | 46% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 546 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | 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 Westland, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Bordering towns draw 15% of Westland’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Westland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westland | – | C+ | B− | 25 min | $62,076 |
| Garden City | under 4% | B− | B− | 27 min | $67,294 |
| Wayne | under 4% | C | B+ | 27 min | $59,038 |
| Inkster | under 4% | D | B+ | 27 min | $39,252 |
| Canton Township | 4% | A | C+ | 27 min | $121,359 |
| Dearborn Heights | under 4% | C | B | 24 min | $60,391 |
| Livonia | 11% | A | B− | 24 min | $98,460 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Livonia. Darker towns draw more of Westland’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 Westland: questions
What is the median household income in Westland?
$62,076 (±$2,929) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Westland?
14.3%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Westland?
25 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Westland work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Livonia (11%, 5 mi), Detroit (8%, 15 mi), Dearborn (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Westland walkable?
Westland is more walkable than 52% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Westland without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Westland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Westland
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.