Photo: jrmyers · CC BY-SA 3.0Earning a living in Charleston Township
10% of workers work from home (Illinois 16%). About one in four work in Charleston Township; the top destination outside it is Charleston (29%, 1 miles). Working residents average 16 minutes each way (Illinois 28, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Charleston Township stands out on work
Commutes from Charleston Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 92 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Charleston Township and Charleston trade workers both ways
Charleston is the top workplace for Charleston Township residents (29%) and also where the most people who work in Charleston Township come from (26% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Charleston Township trades workers with the towns around it
Charleston Township has about as many jobs (7,721) as working residents (7,553), but they are mostly different people: 5,305 residents leave for work each day while 5,473 people come in. Only 29% of the jobs in Charleston Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Time on the road from Charleston Township: about 16 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Charleston Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,855 commuters (the 10% 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.
Where the trip to work from Charleston Township ends
Where Charleston Township clocks in
29% of workers
13% 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.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 5,305 residents head out to work, 2,248 work right here, and 5,473 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.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.02 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Charleston Township is a services town
7,721 jobs are based in Charleston Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Charleston Township, 2014 → 2024: 7,571 → 7,721. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Charleston Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Charleston Township’s commute, mile by mile
About 23% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Next door is work for 34% of Charleston Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Charleston Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Township | – | — | — | 16 min | $51,741 |
| Hutton Township | under 2% | — | — | 27 min | — |
| Ashmore Township | under 2% | C | C+ | 24 min | $74,954 |
| Charleston | 29% | D | A | 15 min | $49,300 |
| Pleasant Grove Township | under 2% | B− | C− | 22 min | $76,613 |
| Seven Hickory Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Morgan Township | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Lafayette Township | 5% | B | C− | 22 min | $69,125 |
Same-state neighbors only. Hutton Township, Seven Hickory Township and Morgan Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Charleston. Darker towns draw more of Charleston 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 2024, 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 Charleston Township: questions
What is the median household income in Charleston Township?
$51,741 (±$2,883) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Charleston Township?
22.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Charleston Township?
16 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Charleston Township work?
30% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Charleston (29%, 1 mi), Mattoon (13%, 9 mi), Lafayette Township (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Charleston Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Charleston Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Charleston Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.