Whitmore Lake has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Employers in Whitmore Lake report 763 jobs, against 3,450 working residents. Only 3% stay in Whitmore Lake for work; outside it, Ann Arbor is the main destination (18%, 10 miles). Commuters spend 29 minutes getting to work on average; the Michigan average is 24, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Getting to work from Whitmore Lake, in brief
Whitmore Lake has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Whitmore Lake went from 424 in 2011 to 763 in 2021, +80%. The jobs ↓
Whitmore Lake is a place people come home to
There are 763 jobs based in Whitmore Lake, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Whitmore Lake has about 5,200 people in it, 34% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Whitmore Lake
61% of Whitmore Lake residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 43% of the jobs based in Whitmore Lake pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 97% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Whitmore Lake workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 29 minutes each way, against 24 across Michigan. Over a year that’s about 222 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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 kinds of work in Whitmore Lake
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Whitmore Lake, 2011 → 2021: 424 → 763. 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 Whitmore Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In and out of Whitmore Lake on a workday
On a workday 3,342 residents head out to work, 108 work right here, and 655 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,200 people are in Whitmore Lake on a workday afternoon, 34% 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.
Getting to work from Whitmore Lake takes about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Whitmore Lake workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,456 commuters (the 16% 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.
Where the trip to work from Whitmore Lake ends
Where Whitmore Lake clocks in
18% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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.
Whitmore Lake’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Around Whitmore Lake: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Green Oak Township (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Whitmore Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitmore Lake | – | — | — | 29 min | $86,779 |
| Webster Township | under 3% | A+ | C | 27 min | $155,104 |
| Green Oak Township | 4% | A | C− | 32 min | $119,335 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Whitmore Lake’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 Whitmore Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Whitmore Lake?
$86,779 (±$12,944) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Whitmore Lake?
5.0%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Whitmore Lake?
29 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Whitmore Lake work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Ann Arbor (18%, 10 mi), Northfield Township (4%, 2 mi), Livonia (4%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Can you get around Whitmore Lake 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 Whitmore Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Whitmore Lake
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.