LeRoy Commercial Historic District · Photo: Esvobod2 · CC BY-SA 3.0Most of Empire Township commutes out: there are 0.5 jobs for every working resident
About one in seven stay in Empire Township for work; outside it, Bloomington is the main destination (31%, 15 miles). 825 jobs are based in Empire Township; 1,772 of its residents have a job. Empire Township grades A− for jobs and income and C for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Empire Township
The better-paid jobs are outside Empire Township
62% of Empire Township residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 38% of the jobs based in Empire Township pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 86% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
31% of Empire Township works in Bloomington
557 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Bloomington, 15 miles away. That’s twice as many as work in Empire Township itself. The commute map ↓
Many jobs in Empire Township pay little
28% of the jobs based in Empire Township pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 32% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Empire Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 23 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. 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.
The four measures behind Empire Township’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Empire Township is better than 78% of U.S. towns, #264 of 768 in Illinois. The poverty rate is its strongest input (4.2%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 51% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Empire Township could be anywhere from B− to A.
Jobs in Empire Township: what the 825 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Empire Township, 2013 → 2023: 815 → 825. 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 Empire Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns that employ Empire Township’s residents
Where Empire Township clocks in
31% of workers
13% of workers
11% 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.
Getting to work from Empire Township takes about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Empire Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,674 commuters (the 17% 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 daily commute in and out of Empire Township
On a workday 1,518 residents head out to work, 254 work right here, and 571 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,000 people are in Empire Township on a workday afternoon, 24% fewer than live here.
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 commute from Empire Township, by distance
About 21% 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.
Most trips from Empire Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Empire Township is more walkable than 25% of U.S. towns, #695 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.4% 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 2,020 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 4.7% of Empire Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Empire Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Empire Township is 875th of 4,084 U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,300 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 873 | Hanover Township OH | 3,226 | $104K | 5.4% | 3.1% | 3% | A− |
| 874 | Freedom CA | 3,172 | $94K | 7.3% | 2.5% | 1% | A− |
| 875 | Empire Township IL | 3,960 | $88K | 4.2% | 2.8% | 14% | A− |
| 876 | Newton Township OH | 3,625 | $88K | 6.7% | 2.2% | 7% | A− |
| 877 | Fairview Township PA | 4,742 | $97K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,084 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Empire Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
How Empire Township compares with the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Empire Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire Township | – | A− | C | 23 min | $87,896 |
| West Township | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Dawson Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Downs Township | under 2% | — | — | 21 min | — |
| Rutledge Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. West Township, Dawson Township and Rutledge Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Downs Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Empire 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 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 Empire Township: questions
What is the median household income in Empire Township?
$87,896 (±$14,648) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Empire Township?
4.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Empire Township?
23 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Empire Township work?
14% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bloomington (31%, 15 mi), Le Roy (13%, 1 mi), Normal (11%, 18 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Empire Township walkable?
Empire Township is more walkable than 25% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Empire Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Empire Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Empire Township
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.