Wolverine Lake has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.3 for each
There are 648 jobs in Wolverine Lake for 2,120 working residents. Jobs and income earn Wolverine Lake A; getting around on foot earns it B−. Only 1% work in Wolverine Lake itself; outside it, Farmington Hills draws the most (7%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Wolverine Lake apart on work
Fewer jobs are based in Wolverine Lake than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Wolverine Lake fell from 1,694 in 2011 to 648 in 2021, −62%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Wolverine Lake
67% of Wolverine Lake residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 39% of the jobs based in Wolverine Lake pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 99% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
No single place dominates Wolverine Lake’s commute
The biggest draw, Farmington Hills, gets only 7% of working residents, and 51% work outside the top ten towns entirely. Wolverine Lake residents fan out across the region. The commute map ↓
Wolverine Lake empties out on a workday
About 3,000 people are in Wolverine Lake on a workday afternoon, 33% fewer than the 4,500 who live here: 2,100 head out to work and 620 come in. Day and night ↓
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.
Why Wolverine Lake gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Wolverine Lake is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #77 of 701 in Michigan. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 88% of U.S. towns); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($92,247, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
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, Wolverine Lake could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Jobs in Wolverine Lake: what the 648 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Wolverine Lake, 2011 → 2021: 1,694 → 648. 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 Wolverine Lake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Where people from Wolverine Lake work
Where Wolverine Lake clocks in
7% 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.
Who works in Wolverine Lake, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 2,095 residents head out to work, 25 work right here, and 623 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,000 people are in Wolverine Lake on a workday afternoon, 33% 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.
Commuting from Wolverine Lake: about 24 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Wolverine Lake workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,106 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.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Wolverine Lake’s workers travel
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.
For most of Wolverine Lake, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Wolverine Lake is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns, #274 of 701 in Michigan. Both inputs place Wolverine Lake 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 2,467 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). 2.5% of Wolverine Lake households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Wolverine Lake’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Wolverine Lake is 482nd of 4,000 U.S. towns of 3,100 to 6,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Franklin MI | 3,134 | $194K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 120 | Vergennes Township MI | 4,968 | $113K | 1.5% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 125 | Ann Arbor Township MI | 4,506 | $165K | 7.2% | 0.5% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 480 | Kimberly AL | 4,858 | $97K | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1% | A |
| 481 | Colona IL | 4,938 | $80K | 3.8% | 0.6% | 5% | A |
| 482 | Wolverine Lake MI | 4,455 | $92K | 5.8% | 2.8% | 1% | A |
| 483 | Chester NY | 3,991 | $101K | 6.8% | 1.2% | 5% | A |
| 484 | Chester NH | 5,322 | $142K | 4.0% | 2.9% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 4,000 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Wolverine Lake, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Around Wolverine Lake: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Wolverine Lake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverine Lake | – | A | B− | 24 min | $92,247 |
| Walled Lake | under 3% | B | B− | 24 min | $72,055 |
| Commerce Township | 7% | A | C+ | 28 min | $113,148 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Commerce Township. Darker towns draw more of Wolverine 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 Wolverine Lake: questions
What is the median household income in Wolverine Lake?
$92,247 (±$8,604) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Wolverine Lake?
5.8%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Wolverine Lake?
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 Wolverine Lake work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Farmington Hills (7%, 7 mi), Commerce Township (7%, 2 mi), Novi (7%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Wolverine Lake walkable?
Wolverine Lake is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.2 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Wolverine Lake without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Wolverine Lake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Wolverine 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. 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.