Whitefish Point Lighthouse · Photo: Browermd · CC BY-SA 3.0Jobs and earnings in Whitefish Township, and the trip to work
Home is the office for 24% of workers (Michigan 14%). About one in ten stay in Whitefish Township for work; outside it, Sault Ste. Marie is the main destination (14%, 36 miles). The trip to work takes 20 minutes on average; Michigan averages 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who leaves Whitefish Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 103 residents head out to work, 14 work right here, and 81 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.81 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.
Out of Whitefish Township to work: where people go
Where Whitefish Township clocks in
14% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Whitefish Township
95 jobs are based in Whitefish Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Whitefish Township, 2011 → 2021: 108 → 95. 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 Whitefish Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Whitefish Township’s commute takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Whitefish Township workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 110 commuters (the 24% 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 Whitefish Township goes to work
About 50% 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.
Next door to Whitefish Township
The biggest share goes to McMillan Township (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Whitefish Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitefish Township | – | — | — | 20 min | $75,288 |
| McMillan Township | 5% | D− | A− | 15 min | $44,550 |
| Chippewa Township | 3% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Bay Mills Township | under 3% | D | C+ | 19 min | $60,972 |
| Hulbert Township | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Chippewa Township and Hulbert Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Whitefish Township’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 Whitefish Township: questions
What is the median household income in Whitefish Township?
$75,288 (±$16,356) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Whitefish Township?
10.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Whitefish Township?
20 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Whitefish Township work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Sault Ste. Marie (14%, 36 mi), Trout Lake Township (6%, 29 mi), McMillan Township (5%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Whitefish Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Whitefish Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Whitefish 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.