Most of Big Spring Township commutes out: there are 0.4 jobs for every working resident
Employers in Big Spring Township report 104 jobs, against 260 working residents. Hardly any work in Big Spring Township itself; outside it, Effingham draws the most (17%, 13 miles). 30% of workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Big Spring Township
A lot of Big Spring Township works from home
30% of Big Spring Township workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
33% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
A longer commute than the towns next door
Big Spring Township averages 29 minutes each way, more than any bordering town (19 to 25 minutes). Next door ↓
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 260 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The trip to work from Big Spring Township: about 29 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Big Spring Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 153 commuters (the 30% 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.
Near or far: the trip to work from Big Spring Township
About 33% 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.
Big Spring Township quiets down on a workday
On a workday 259 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 103 people come in from elsewhere.
About 450 people are in Big Spring Township on a workday afternoon, 26% 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 2023, primary jobs.
The towns that employ Big Spring Township’s residents
Where Big Spring Township clocks in
17% of workers
8% 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.
Mostly health care, schools and offices in Big Spring Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Big Spring Township, 2013 → 2023: 22 → 104. 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 Big Spring Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns around Big Spring Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Big Spring Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Spring Township | – | — | — | 29 min | $86,367 |
| Ash Grove Township | under 3% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Sigel Township | under 3% | — | — | 24 min | — |
| Neoga Township | under 3% | B+ | C+ | 19 min | $88,667 |
| Prairie Township | under 3% | C+ | C− | 24 min | $68,333 |
Same-state neighbors only. Ash Grove Township and Sigel Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Big Spring 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 Big Spring Township: questions
What is the median household income in Big Spring Township?
$86,367 (±$34,918) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Big Spring Township?
0.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Big Spring Township?
29 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Big Spring Township work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Effingham (17%, 13 mi), Shelbyville (8%, 16 mi), Mattoon (7%, 14 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Big Spring Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Big Spring Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Big Spring 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.