Work & commute · Independence

Work & commute in Independence, MI

Most working residents leave Independence for work: only 8% work in town. The top destinations are Auburn Hills (9%), Troy (7%) and Waterford (6%). Half commute less than 17 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2021 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

1,298 of 15,885 working residents

Typical commute

17 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

29 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

18%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 14,587 Independence residents head out of town to work, 1,298 work right here, and 5,946 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Independence.

14,587live here, work elsewhere

1,298live and work here

5,946work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Independence goes to work

Auburn Hills9 mi away

9%1,365

Independence (in town)right here

8%1,298

Troy16.8 mi away

7%1,116

Waterford5.8 mi away

6%1,008

Pontiac8.5 mi away

4%654

Detroit29.1 mi away

4%597

Warren25.5 mi away

4%594

Southfield19.9 mi away

4%591

Rochester Hills13.1 mi away

3%446

Orion6.6 mi away

3%417

Everywhere elseother towns and states

49%7,799

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Independence commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

30%

47%

15%

30%Under 10 mi

47%10–24 mi

15%25–50 mi

8%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Independence is a commuter town

0.46jobs per working resident

A commuter town

0.46 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Independence are

7,244 jobs are based in Independence. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Independence’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Independence

7,244 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)73%

$1,250 a month or less22%

$1,251–$3,333 a month34%

Over $3,333 a month44%

Jobs Independence residents hold

15,885 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)17%

Trade, transport & utilities18%

Services (health, schools, offices…)65%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month21%

Over $3,333 a month65%

−4%

Jobs based in Independence, 2011 → 2021: 7,509 → 7,244. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2021. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2021, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.