At 10.1%, unemployment in Burnham is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Burnham are C for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 8.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago. Measured by household income, Burnham is behind 77% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Burnham at work: what stands out
Stores, warehouses and trucking
60% of the jobs in Burnham are in trade, transport and utilities, against 26% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
A lot of Burnham works one town over
40% of working residents work in a town that borders Burnham: Chicago (37%) and Calumet City (3%). Next door ↓
Burnham workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 37 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 284 hours of commuting, 69 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (32 to 34 minutes). Time on the road ↓
The jobs in Burnham pay better than its residents’ jobs
72% of the jobs based in Burnham pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 52% of the jobs Burnham residents hold. 94% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside Burnham. The jobs ↓
Burnham has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Burnham went from 501 in 2013 to 688 in 2023, +37%. The jobs ↓
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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How Burnham earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Burnham is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #619 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Burnham’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Burnham could be anywhere from C− to B.
72% of the jobs in Burnham pay over $3,333 a month
688 jobs are based in Burnham.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Burnham, 2013 → 2023: 501 → 688. 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 Burnham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Getting to work from Burnham takes about 37 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Burnham workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,361 commuters (the 14% 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 workday shuffle in and out of Burnham
On a workday 1,371 residents head out to work, 42 work right here, and 646 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,200 people are in Burnham on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.49 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.
37% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Burnham clocks in
37% of workers
3% of workers
2% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Burnham
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.
Burnham is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Burnham is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns, #59 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Burnham near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,586 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 8.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 92% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.7% of Burnham households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 11% of Burnham’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,364 U.S. towns of 2,700 to 5,300, Burnham comes 3,083rd on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,081 | Sterling NY | 3,157 | $60K | 14.1% | 2.6% | 7% | C |
| 3,082 | Mount Plymouth FL | 4,604 | $90K | 19.9% | 9.7% | 2% | C |
| 3,083 | Burnham IL | 3,919 | $58K | 15.7% | 10.1% | 3% | C |
| 3,084 | Ridgeland SC | 3,818 | $63K | 26.8% | 2.5% | 9% | C |
| 3,085 | Oliver Springs TN | 3,433 | $51K | 17.0% | 4.6% | 3% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,364 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Burnham, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns next door employ 40% of Burnham
The biggest share goes to Chicago (37%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Burnham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnham | – | C | A+ | 37 min | $57,790 |
| Thornton Township | under 2% | C | A+ | 32 min | $58,534 |
| Chicago | 37% | B− | A+ | 33 min | $77,902 |
| Calumet City | 3% | C− | A+ | 34 min | $55,369 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Burnham’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 Burnham: questions
What is the median household income in Burnham?
$57,790 (±$11,032) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Burnham?
15.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Burnham?
37 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Burnham work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (37%, 15 mi), Calumet City (3%, 3 mi), South Holland (2%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Burnham walkable?
Burnham is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.4 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Burnham without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Burnham, from the people who make the trip.
More of Burnham
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. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.