Barren Township at work: jobs, income and the commute
0% of workers work from home, where Illinois as a whole has 16%. Only 2% work in Barren Township itself; outside it, Mount Vernon draws the most (19%, 17 miles). The average commute takes 27 minutes each way, next to 28 for Illinois and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Barren Township by day and by night
On a workday 180 residents head out to work, 3 work right here, and 132 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.
0.74 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.
Where the trip to work from Barren Township ends
Where Barren Township clocks in
19% 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.
Barren Township makes things: 53% of its jobs are in goods
135 jobs are based in Barren Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Barren Township, 2013 → 2023: 92 → 135. 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 Barren Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Barren Township: about 27 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Barren Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 162 commuters (the 0% 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.
The commute from Barren Township, by distance
About 22% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The towns next door employ 15% of Barren Township
The biggest share goes to Goode Township (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Barren Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barren Township | – | — | — | 27 min | $94,297 |
| Ewing Township | under 2% | C | C− | 25 min | $74,073 |
| Browning Township | under 2% | C− | C | 22 min | $53,125 |
| Goode Township | 8% | D | C | 33 min | $59,420 |
| Sesser | 7% | D | C | 35 min | $52,604 |
| Elk Prairie Township | under 2% | — | — | 22 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Elk Prairie Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Barren 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 Barren Township: questions
What is the median household income in Barren Township?
$94,297 (±$53,827) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Barren Township?
0.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Barren Township?
27 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 0% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Barren Township work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Mount Vernon (19%, 17 mi), Goode Township (8%, 5 mi), Sesser (7%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Barren Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Barren Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Barren 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.