More people are out of work in Crestwood (8.2%) than in 89% of U.S. towns
Only 5% stay in Crestwood for work; outside it, Chicago is the main destination (26%, 14 miles). Crestwood grades B− for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 1.4 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Crestwood: the gist
Crestwood and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Crestwood residents (26%) and also where the most people who work in Crestwood come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Crestwood is where the jobs are
Crestwood has 7,906 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Crestwood draws workers from far and wide
The 7,906 jobs in Crestwood are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 36%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Crestwood
62% of Crestwood residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 42% of the jobs based in Crestwood pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 95% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Crestwood workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (29 to 30 minutes). Time on the road ↓
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.
What’s behind Crestwood’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Crestwood is better than 48% of U.S. towns, #514 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Crestwood’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. It also does well on household income.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Crestwood could be anywhere from C to B+.
Where the people who work in Crestwood live
Where Crestwood clocks in
26% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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 daily flow of workers through Crestwood
On a workday 4,662 residents head out to work, 233 work right here, and 7,673 people come in from elsewhere.
About 14,000 people are in Crestwood on a workday afternoon, 29% more than live here.
1.6 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.
Jobs in Crestwood: what the 7,906 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Crestwood, 2013 → 2023: 7,400 → 7,906. 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 Crestwood’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Crestwood’s commute takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Crestwood workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,050 commuters (the 13% 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.
Miles to work from Crestwood
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.
Crestwood is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Crestwood is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns, #114 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Crestwood 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 4,648 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 67% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 8% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 63% 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). 9.3% of Crestwood households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Crestwood’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Crestwood is 1,768th among 2,878 U.S. towns of 7,000 to 14,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 16 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,766 | Crane Township OH | 7,489 | $67K | 10.7% | 3.0% | 35% | B− |
| 1,767 | Rome Township OH | 8,393 | $73K | 12.2% | 1.0% | 8% | B− |
| 1,768 | Crestwood IL | 10,529 | $76K | 13.0% | 8.2% | 5% | B− |
| 1,769 | Freehold NJ | 12,562 | $86K | 14.3% | 8.2% | 7% | B− |
| 1,770 | Hitchcock TX | 7,722 | $74K | 14.4% | 5.5% | 4% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,878 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Crestwood, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Crestwood and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Alsip (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Crestwood workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood | – | B− | A | 33 min | $75,752 |
| Robbins | under 2% | C− | A | 29 min | $40,668 |
| Midlothian | under 2% | B | A | 29 min | $70,000 |
| Alsip | 3% | C+ | A | 30 min | $66,585 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Crestwood’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 Crestwood: questions
What is the median household income in Crestwood?
$75,752 (±$11,750) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Crestwood?
13.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Crestwood?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Crestwood work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (26%, 14 mi), Orland Park (4%, 7 mi), Oak Lawn (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Crestwood walkable?
Crestwood is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.6 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Crestwood without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 8% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Crestwood, from the people who make the trip.
More of Crestwood
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.