Photo: Anonymous · CC BY-SA 4.0Downers Grove has 2.2 jobs for every working resident: 48,638 people commute in to work
Household incomes here are higher than in 86% of U.S. towns. There are 51,079 jobs in Downers Grove, and 23,160 of its residents work somewhere. For jobs and income Downers Grove is better than 91% of U.S. towns (A); for walkability it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (A+).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Downers Grove and work: the main findings
Downers Grove is where the jobs are
Downers Grove has 51,079 jobs, 2.2 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 78,000 people are in town, 55% more than the 50,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Downers Grove draws workers from far and wide
The 51,079 jobs in Downers Grove are filled from a wide area. Downers Grove’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 29%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Downers Grove and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Downers Grove residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Downers Grove come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Home offices are common in Downers Grove
24% of Downers Grove workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
The biggest group of Downers Grove’s workers comes from Chicago
6,142 of the people who work in Downers Grove live in Chicago, 18 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
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.
The four measures behind Downers Grove’s grade
Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (4.0%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Downers Grove could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Who commutes out of Downers Grove, and who commutes in
On a workday 20,719 residents head out to work and 2,441 work right here.
About 78,000 people are in Downers Grove on a workday afternoon, 55% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Where Downers Grove’s workers come from
Where Downers Grove clocks in
22% 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.
Downers Grove’s commute takes about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Downers Grove workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 19,192 commuters (the 24% 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.
72% of the jobs in Downers Grove pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Downers Grove, 2014 → 2024: 45,575 → 51,079. 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 Downers Grove’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Downers Grove
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Downers Grove
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 25,191 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 77% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 10% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 76% 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). 5.4% of Downers Grove households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Downers Grove’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Downers Grove is 125th among 904 U.S. towns of 35,000 to 68,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Upper Arlington OH | 35,893 | $155K | 3.3% | 2.0% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Oakton VA | 36,528 | $161K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Bartlett IL | 40,855 | $133K | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | New Lenox Township IL | 45,290 | $133K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Oswego IL | 39,948 | $124K | 2.6% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 123 | Pacifica CA | 36,890 | $161K | 5.8% | 3.9% | 8% | A |
| 124 | Bethlehem NY | 35,684 | $124K | 5.0% | 3.0% | 13% | A |
| 125 | Downers Grove IL | 50,365 | $115K | 5.5% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| 126 | Lincoln Township IN | 39,284 | $103K | 7.6% | 1.8% | 10% | A |
| 127 | El Dorado Hills CA | 51,026 | $165K | 3.5% | 3.9% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 904 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 25% | 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 Downers Grove, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Bordering towns draw 11% of Downers Grove’s workers
The biggest share goes to Oak Brook (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Downers Grove workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downers Grove | – | A | A+ | 28 min | $115,114 |
| Westmont | 2% | A− | A | 27 min | $88,090 |
| Darien | under 2% | A | A | 29 min | $111,215 |
| Woodridge | 2% | A | A | 30 min | $101,000 |
| Lisle | 2% | A | A | 28 min | $107,479 |
| Downers Grove Township | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $117,335 |
| Lisle Township | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $118,712 |
| Lombard | 2% | A− | A | 26 min | $100,362 |
| Oak Brook | 3% | A− | A | 32 min | $175,870 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Downers Grove’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 Downers Grove: questions
What is the median household income in Downers Grove?
$115,114 (±$10,189) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Downers Grove?
5.5%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Downers Grove?
28 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Downers Grove work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (22%, 18 mi), Naperville (4%, 8 mi), Oak Brook (3%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Downers Grove walkable?
Downers Grove is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.3 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Downers Grove without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 10% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Downers Grove, from the people who make the trip.
More of Downers Grove
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. 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.