Photo: Bnperdue2010 · CC BY-SA 4.0Jobs, income and commuting in Burlington, IL
Only 2% work in Burlington; the top destination outside it is Chicago (9%, 48 miles). Commuters spend 32 minutes getting to work on average; the Illinois average is 28, the U.S. 26. There are 237 jobs in Burlington for 306 working residents.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Burlington apart
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Burlington
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.
A workday in Burlington: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 299 residents head out to work, 7 work right here, and 230 people come in from elsewhere.
About 450 people are in Burlington on a workday afternoon, 13% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 per resident).
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 Burlington goes to work
Where Burlington clocks in
9% of workers
8% 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.
A place that makes things: 29% of Burlington’s jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burlington, 2013 → 2023: 197 → 237. 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 Burlington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 32 minutes in Burlington
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burlington workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 188 commuters (the 16% 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.
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 Burlington: questions
What is the median household income in Burlington?
$84,219 (±$10,330) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burlington?
10.1%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burlington?
32 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burlington work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (9%, 48 mi), Elgin (8%, 12 mi), St. Charles (4%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Burlington 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 Burlington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burlington
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.