Foster Township has fewer jobs than working residents: 0.1 for each
Only 1% work in Foster Township itself; outside it, Salem draws the most (18%, 11 miles). There are 21 jobs in Foster Township, against 148 working residents. Commuters spend 42 minutes getting to work on average, next to 28 for Illinois and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Who commutes out of Foster Township, and who commutes in
On a workday 146 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 19 people come in from elsewhere.
About 230 people are in Foster Township on a workday afternoon, 36% 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.
Where Foster Township goes to work
Where Foster Township clocks in
18% of workers
8% of workers
7% 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.
In Foster Township, 62% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Foster Township, 2013 → 2023: 14 → 21. 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 Foster Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Foster Township: about 42 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 13.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Foster Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 189 commuters (the 16% 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 Foster Township
About 33% 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.
Around Foster Township: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Tonti Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Foster Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Township | – | — | — | 42 min | $129,375 |
| Kinmundy Township | under 3% | C− | C− | 27 min | $58,214 |
| Wilberton Township | under 3% | — | — | 48 min | — |
| Tonti Township | 3% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Patoka Township | 3% | — | — | 28 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Wilberton Township and Patoka Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Tonti Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Foster 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 Foster Township: questions
What is the median household income in Foster Township?
$129,375 (±$56,964) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Foster Township?
2.8%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Foster Township?
42 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 16% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Foster Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Salem (18%, 11 mi), Mount Vernon (8%, 32 mi), Centralia (7%, 20 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Foster Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Foster Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Foster 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.