Photo: Stevedrone91 · CC BY-SA 4.0Making a living in Freeport Township
There are 10,123 jobs in Freeport Township, against 9,574 working residents. About one in three stay in Freeport Township for work; outside it, Freeport is the main destination (36%, 0 miles). Working residents average 16 minutes each way (Illinois 28, U.S. 26).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Freeport Township stands out on work
Freeport Township and Freeport trade workers both ways
Freeport is the top workplace for Freeport Township residents (36%) and also where the most people who work in Freeport Township come from (34% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from Freeport Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 92 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
30% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
Commuting out of Freeport Township: the destinations
Where Freeport Township clocks in
36% of workers
7% of workers
5% 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.
Time on the road from Freeport Township: about 16 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Freeport Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,405 commuters (the 10% 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.
Where in the region Freeport Township works
About 30% 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.
How many people are in Freeport Township by day
On a workday 6,135 residents head out to work, 3,439 work right here, and 6,684 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.06 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What Freeport Township’s employers do
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Freeport Township, 2013 → 2023: 10,844 → 10,123. 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 Freeport Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
41% of Freeport Township works in a bordering town
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Freeport Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeport Township | – | — | — | 16 min | $51,723 |
| Freeport | 36% | C− | B+ | 16 min | $51,723 |
| Lancaster Township | 2% | B+ | D− | 18 min | $91,250 |
| Florence Township | 2% | B− | C | 17 min | $90,698 |
| Harlem Township | under 2% | A− | D | 31 min | $95,000 |
| Silver Creek Township | 1% | — | — | 17 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Silver Creek Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Freeport. Darker towns draw more of Freeport 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 Freeport Township: questions
What is the median household income in Freeport Township?
$51,723 (±$3,591) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Freeport Township?
19.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Freeport Township?
16 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Freeport Township work?
36% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Freeport (36%, 0 mi), Rockford (7%, 29 mi), Chicago (5%, 105 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Freeport Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Freeport Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Freeport 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.