White Pigeon’s household incomes are lower than in 86% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income White Pigeon is better than 18% of U.S. towns (C−); for walkability it is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns (C−). 26.0% of residents are in poverty (Michigan 13.2%). Only 6% work in White Pigeon itself; outside it, Elkhart draws the most (12%, 18 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in White Pigeon: the gist
A lot of White Pigeon workers cross into Indiana
33% of White Pigeon workers work outside Michigan, the Census survey finds. In the commute data, Elkhart (12%), Middlebury (5%) and York Township (5%) are among the top workplaces. The commute map ↓
White Pigeon makes and builds things
55% of the jobs based in White Pigeon are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs White Pigeon residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 49%. The jobs ↓
White Pigeon has added jobs fast
Jobs based in White Pigeon went from 340 in 2011 to 581 in 2021, +71%. 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 768 working residents, small shifts move the shares; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
The four measures behind White Pigeon’s grade
Job access by car holds White Pigeon’s grade up (ahead of 60% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
Unemployment (5.6%) is left out: White Pigeon’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, White Pigeon could be anywhere from D to C+.
Where people from White Pigeon work
Where White Pigeon clocks in
12% of workers
8% of workers
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.
Factories, building and farms: 55% of the jobs in White Pigeon
581 jobs are based in White Pigeon.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in White Pigeon, 2011 → 2021: 340 → 581. 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 White Pigeon’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of White Pigeon
On a workday 721 residents head out to work, 47 work right here, and 534 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,600 people are in White Pigeon on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.76 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2021, primary jobs.
Time on the road from White Pigeon: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of White Pigeon workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 751 commuters (the 7% 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.
How far it is to work from White Pigeon
About 18% 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 White Pigeon: mostly by car
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 805 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). 10.7% of White Pigeon households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of White Pigeon’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,300 to 2,500, White Pigeon ranks 4,192nd of 5,656 on jobs and income
| # | 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 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 102 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 212 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 255 | Sylvan Lake MI | 1,685 | $106K | 5.4% | 2.9% | 3% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,190 | Laguna Park TX | 1,596 | $61K | 13.8% | 5.2% | 4% | C− |
| 4,191 | Sumner IA | 2,022 | $59K | 13.6% | 2.9% | 22% | C− |
| 4,192 | White Pigeon MI | 1,824 | $51K | 26.0% | 5.6% | 6% | C− |
| 4,193 | Bethel NC | 1,422 | $53K | 16.8% | 9.9% | 2% | C− |
| 4,194 | Colwyn PA | 2,465 | $47K | 34.9% | 21.2% | 1% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,656 | 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.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of White Pigeon, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Work next door: 11% of White Pigeon’s workers
The biggest share goes to White Pigeon Township (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | White Pigeon workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Pigeon | – | C− | C− | 19 min | $51,250 |
| White Pigeon Township | 8% | C+ | C | 17 min | $71,071 |
| Mottville Township | 3% | B− | C+ | 24 min | $70,441 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of White Pigeon’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 White Pigeon: questions
What is the median household income in White Pigeon?
$51,250 (±$17,335) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in White Pigeon?
26.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from White Pigeon?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in White Pigeon work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Elkhart (12%, 18 mi), White Pigeon Township (8%, 3 mi), Sturgis (7%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is White Pigeon walkable?
White Pigeon is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.7 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around White Pigeon without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from White Pigeon, from the people who make the trip.
More of White Pigeon
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.