Making a living in Afton Township
Working from home is the commute for 4% of workers; Illinois has 16%. Hardly any work in Afton Township; the top destination outside it is DeKalb (26%, 5 miles). The average commute takes 36 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Afton Township in brief
Afton Township and DeKalb trade workers both ways
DeKalb is the top workplace for Afton Township residents (26%) and also where the most people who work in Afton Township come from (20% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Afton Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 61 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 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 419 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Out of Afton Township to work: where people go
Where Afton Township clocks in
26% 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.
About 36 minutes each way for Afton Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Afton Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 568 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
In and out of Afton Township on a workday
On a workday 416 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 268 people come in from elsewhere.
About 760 people are in Afton Township on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.65 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
In Afton Township, 32% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
271 jobs are based in Afton Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Afton Township, 2013 → 2023: 100 → 271. 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 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Afton Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far it is to work from Afton Township
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Next door to Afton Township
The biggest share goes to DeKalb Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Afton Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afton Township | – | — | — | 36 min | $107,675 |
| Clinton Township | under 2% | A− | C | 36 min | $100,505 |
| Milan Township | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Pierce Township | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| DeKalb Township | 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Shabbona Township | under 2% | B | B+ | 29 min | $81,032 |
Same-state neighbors only. Milan Township and Pierce Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. DeKalb Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Afton 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 2023, 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 Afton Township: questions
What is the median household income in Afton Township?
$107,675 (±$28,240) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Afton Township?
9.3%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Afton Township?
36 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 4% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Afton Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are DeKalb (26%, 5 mi), Sycamore (7%, 11 mi), Chicago (4%, 56 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Afton Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Afton Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Afton Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, 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.