Chicago Ridge has higher unemployment (5.5%) than 68% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Chicago Ridge C+; getting around on foot earns it A. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 3.3 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago. Only 4% work in Chicago Ridge itself; outside it, Chicago draws the most (32%, 10 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Chicago Ridge
Chicago Ridge trades workers with the towns around it
Chicago Ridge has about as many jobs (5,110) as working residents (5,577), but they are mostly different people: 5,335 residents leave for work each day while 4,868 people come in. Only 5% of the jobs in Chicago Ridge are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Chicago Ridge and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Chicago Ridge residents (32%) and also where the most people who work in Chicago Ridge come from (24% of its jobs). 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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Chicago Ridge
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chicago Ridge is better than 45% of U.S. towns, #533 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Chicago Ridge’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (20.4%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chicago Ridge could be anywhere from C to B+.
The workday shuffle in and out of Chicago Ridge
On a workday 5,335 residents head out to work, 242 work right here, and 4,868 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 (0.92 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 people from Chicago Ridge work
Where Chicago Ridge clocks in
32% of workers
5% 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.
The kinds of work in Chicago Ridge
5,110 jobs are based in Chicago Ridge.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chicago Ridge, 2013 → 2023: 5,015 → 5,110. 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 Chicago Ridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A commute of about 32 minutes in Chicago Ridge
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chicago Ridge workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,790 commuters (the 11% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Chicago Ridge
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.
Chicago Ridge is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chicago Ridge is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns, #200 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.7% 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 6,474 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 87% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 17% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 77% 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 Chicago Ridge households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Chicago Ridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Chicago Ridge is 1,499th among 2,227 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 19,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| 31 | Riverside Township IL | 16,083 | $122K | 4.5% | 1.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,497 | Manchester TN | 13,776 | $58K | 14.9% | 2.2% | 23% | C+ |
| 1,498 | Brewster MA | 10,457 | $103K | 6.8% | 10.9% | 15% | C+ |
| 1,499 | Chicago Ridge IL | 14,036 | $69K | 20.4% | 5.5% | 4% | C+ |
| 1,500 | St. Helens OR | 14,450 | $83K | 10.0% | 3.6% | 16% | C+ |
| 1,501 | Richton Park IL | 12,483 | $65K | 8.8% | 11.9% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,227 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Chicago Ridge, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Chicago Ridge and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Oak Lawn (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chicago Ridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Ridge | – | C+ | A | 32 min | $68,964 |
| Oak Lawn | 5% | B+ | A | 31 min | $83,911 |
| Worth | under 2% | C | A | 28 min | $56,288 |
| Worth Township | under 2% | B | A | 30 min | $77,966 |
| Bridgeview | 2% | C+ | A | 31 min | $66,655 |
| Palos Township | under 2% | B+ | A | 33 min | $86,101 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chicago Ridge’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 Chicago Ridge: questions
What is the median household income in Chicago Ridge?
$68,964 (±$9,579) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chicago Ridge?
20.4%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chicago Ridge?
32 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chicago Ridge work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (32%, 10 mi), Oak Lawn (5%, 2 mi), Bedford Park (3%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Chicago Ridge walkable?
Chicago Ridge is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.5 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chicago Ridge without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. 17% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chicago Ridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chicago Ridge
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.