For about two in three of its working residents, Capital Township is a commute to Springfield
Jobs and income earn Capital Township C; getting around on foot earns it A. More than half work in Capital Township itself; outside it, Springfield draws the most (63%, 0 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 17 minutes, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Capital Township stands out on work
More than half of Capital Township works in Springfield
29,086 working residents, 63%, have their main job in Springfield, 0 miles away across the town line. That’s more than work in Capital Township itself. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Capital Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 84 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Capital Township is where the jobs are
Capital Township has 99,464 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 165,000 people are in town, 48% more than the 111,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Capital Township draws workers from far and wide
The 99,464 jobs in Capital Township are filled from a wide area. Capital Township’s own residents hold 28% and the ten next-biggest home towns 17%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
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.
Where Capital Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Capital Township is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #624 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Capital Township’s grade up (ahead of 71% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.8%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Capital Township could be anywhere from C to C+.
The towns that send workers to Capital Township
Where Capital Township clocks in
63% 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.
About 17 minutes each way for Capital Township’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Capital Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 42,081 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 daily flow of workers through Capital Township
On a workday 17,544 residents head out to work, 28,263 work right here, and 71,201 people come in from elsewhere.
About 165,000 people are in Capital Township on a workday afternoon, 48% more than live here.
2.2 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
99,464 jobs are based in Capital Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Capital Township, 2013 → 2023: 101,458 → 99,464. 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 Capital Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The commute from Capital Township, by distance
About 24% 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.
Capital Township is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Capital Township is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #190 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 10.8% across Illinois.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 49,174 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 81% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 50% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 10.4% of Capital Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Capital Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Among U.S. towns of 78,000 to 150,000, Capital Township ranks 327th of 378 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plymouth MN | 78,942 | $137K | 4.3% | 2.3% | 12% | A+ |
| 3 | South Jordan UT | 87,614 | $134K | 3.7% | 2.4% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Wheatland Township IL | 92,693 | $173K | 3.2% | 4.0% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 23 | Northfield Township IL | 89,835 | $137K | 7.1% | 3.5% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 32 | Lisle Township IL | 119,740 | $119K | 5.0% | 4.5% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 325 | Springfield IL | 112,989 | $66K | 16.8% | 6.8% | 64% | C |
| 326 | Bryan TX | 91,996 | $59K | 23.0% | 5.0% | 32% | C |
| 327 | Capital Township IL | 111,143 | $66K | 16.9% | 6.8% | 62% | C |
| 328 | Waco TX | 147,788 | $54K | 23.1% | 4.6% | 49% | C |
| 329 | Bellingham WA | 96,395 | $67K | 18.6% | 5.6% | 51% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 378 | Flint MI | 79,306 | $38K | 34.1% | 14.8% | 20% | 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 Capital Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
65% of Capital Township works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Capital Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Township | – | C | A | 17 min | $65,902 |
| Springfield | 63% | C | A | 17 min | $66,064 |
| Springfield Township | 1% | D | B+ | 15 min | $39,507 |
| Curran Township | under 1% | A | D | 17 min | $102,857 |
| Ball Township | under 1% | A | B | 27 min | $140,753 |
| Gardner Township | under 1% | A− | D | 19 min | $103,932 |
| Woodside Township | 1% | B | A | 18 min | $73,007 |
| Rochester Township | under 1% | A | C− | 22 min | $114,551 |
| Clear Lake Township | under 1% | A− | C+ | 24 min | $86,473 |
| Chatham | under 1% | A− | B+ | 23 min | $106,773 |
| Southern View | under 1% | C+ | A+ | 15 min | $57,270 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Springfield. Darker towns draw more of Capital 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 Capital Township: questions
What is the median household income in Capital Township?
$65,902 (±$3,357) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Capital Township?
16.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Capital Township?
17 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Capital Township work?
62% work in town.
Is Capital Township walkable?
Capital Township is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.7 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Capital Township without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 50% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Capital Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Capital 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. 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.