Jobs and the daily commute in Dorchester
5% of workers have no commute at all, next to 16% for Illinois as a whole. Hardly any stay in Dorchester for work; outside it, Staunton is the main destination (11%, 7 miles). A typical one-way commute lasts 29 minutes, where Illinois has 28 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
A workday in Dorchester: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 55 residents head out to work, none work right here, and 0 people come in from elsewhere.
About 70 people are in Dorchester on a workday afternoon, 44% fewer than live here.
0.00 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.
The towns that employ Dorchester’s residents
Where Dorchester clocks in
11% of workers
9% 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.
Commuting from Dorchester: about 29 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Dorchester workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 70 commuters (the 5% 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 distance from Dorchester to work
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.
Dorchester and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Dorchester workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorchester | – | — | — | 29 min | $127,500 |
| Dorchester Township | under 4% | C+ | D | 35 min | $68,690 |
| Gillespie Township | under 4% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Gillespie Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Dorchester’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 Dorchester: questions
What is the median household income in Dorchester?
$127,500 (±$46,064) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Dorchester?
0.5%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Dorchester?
29 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Dorchester work?
0% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Staunton (11%, 7 mi), Alton (11%, 19 mi), Springfield (9%, 50 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Dorchester without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Dorchester, from the people who make the trip.
More of Dorchester
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.