Households in Zilwaukee have lower incomes than those in 77% of U.S. towns
15.2% of residents are in poverty, where Michigan as a whole has 13.2%. The two grades for Zilwaukee are C+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Hardly any stay in Zilwaukee for work; outside it, Saginaw is the main destination (20%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2021, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Zilwaukee, in a few figures
The jobs in Zilwaukee pay better than its residents’ jobs
69% of the jobs based in Zilwaukee pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 48% of the jobs Zilwaukee residents hold. 99% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Zilwaukee. The jobs ↓
Zilwaukee makes and builds things
38% of the jobs based in Zilwaukee are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Zilwaukee residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 22%. The jobs ↓
A longer commute than the towns next door
Zilwaukee averages 23 minutes each way, more than any bordering town (17 to 20 minutes). Next door ↓
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 587 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Zilwaukee
On income, poverty and job access, Zilwaukee is better than 36% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Zilwaukee’s grade up (ahead of 71% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($57,756, U.S. $80,734).
Unemployment (5.5%) is left out: Zilwaukee’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, Zilwaukee could be anywhere from C− to B+.
Zilwaukee makes things: 38% of its jobs are in goods
564 jobs are based in Zilwaukee.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Zilwaukee, 2011 → 2021: 225 → 564. 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 Zilwaukee’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The workday shuffle in and out of Zilwaukee
On a workday 583 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 560 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 (0.96 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.
Where the trip to work from Zilwaukee ends
Where Zilwaukee clocks in
20% of workers
13% 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.
The daily trip from Zilwaukee: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Zilwaukee workers work from home, vs 14% across Michigan. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 737 commuters (the 9% 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 in the region Zilwaukee works
About 21% 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.
Driving is how Zilwaukee gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Zilwaukee is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any 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 814 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). 5.6% of Zilwaukee households have no vehicle (Michigan 7.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Zilwaukee’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 6,308 U.S. towns of 1,000 to 2,000, Zilwaukee comes 3,172nd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 101 | Caledonia MI | 1,778 | $106K | 3.7% | 0.5% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 166 | Dimondale MI | 1,183 | $111K | 3.2% | 4.6% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 206 | Wheatfield Township MI | 1,659 | $117K | 1.9% | 2.7% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 3,170 | Burke VT | 1,646 | $87K | 10.0% | 0.7% | 17% | C+ |
| 3,171 | Thomasboro IL | 1,003 | $64K | 13.2% | 1.3% | 1% | C+ |
| 3,172 | Zilwaukee MI | 1,489 | $58K | 15.2% | 5.5% | 1% | C+ |
| 3,173 | Antwerp OH | 1,679 | $58K | 9.7% | 2.8% | 8% | C+ |
| 3,174 | Clifty Township IN | 1,062 | $88K | 18.9% | 12.8% | 1% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6,308 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 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 Zilwaukee, the top three, the last and three more from Michigan.
Next door to Zilwaukee
The biggest share goes to Buena Vista Township (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Zilwaukee workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zilwaukee | – | C+ | C− | 23 min | $57,756 |
| Zilwaukee Township | under 3% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Carrollton Township | under 3% | D | C− | 17 min | $50,399 |
| Buena Vista Township | 6% | C− | B− | 20 min | $44,397 |
Same-state neighbors only. Zilwaukee Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Zilwaukee’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 Zilwaukee: questions
What is the median household income in Zilwaukee?
$57,756 (±$8,378) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $72,875 across Michigan and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Zilwaukee?
15.2%, against 13.2% across Michigan and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Zilwaukee?
23 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Michigan and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Zilwaukee work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Saginaw (20%, 5 mi), Saginaw Township (13%, 5 mi), Buena Vista Township (6%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2021).
Is Zilwaukee walkable?
Zilwaukee is more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 6.5 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Zilwaukee without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Zilwaukee, from the people who make the trip.
More of Zilwaukee
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.