Households in Grayslake have higher incomes than those in 86% of U.S. towns
Grayslake grades A− for jobs and income and A− for walkability. The poverty rate is 6.3% (Illinois 11.8%). For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 3.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Grayslake in brief
Grayslake’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Grayslake is Chicago, 39 miles away as the crow flies. 10% of working residents (965) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Grayslake draws workers from far and wide
The 7,747 jobs in Grayslake are filled from a wide area. Grayslake’s own residents hold 10% and the ten next-biggest home towns 29%; the other 61% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Grayslake
70% of Grayslake residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 52% of the jobs based in Grayslake pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 92% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
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.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Grayslake
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Grayslake is better than 80% of U.S. towns, #253 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Grayslake’s grade up (ahead of 89% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Grayslake could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Grayslake
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.
10% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Grayslake clocks in
10% of workers
5% of workers
4% 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.
The 7,747 jobs based in Grayslake
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Grayslake, 2013 → 2023: 7,741 → 7,747. 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 Grayslake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily flow of workers through Grayslake
On a workday 9,257 residents head out to work, 774 work right here, and 6,973 people come in from elsewhere.
About 19,000 people are in Grayslake on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 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.
Each way, about 27 minutes from Grayslake
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Grayslake workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,132 commuters (the 20% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Grayslake
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Grayslake is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns, #225 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.7% 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 11,401 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 56% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 35% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 78% 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). 3.7% of Grayslake households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Grayslake’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Grayslake ranks: 623rd of 1,787 U.S. towns of 15,000 to 29,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Wolf Trap VA | 15,858 | $250K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 621 | North Aurora IL | 19,406 | $114K | 6.3% | 5.5% | 3% | A− |
| 622 | Susquehanna Township PA | 28,434 | $85K | 9.3% | 2.3% | 10% | A− |
| 623 | Grayslake IL | 21,140 | $114K | 6.3% | 5.4% | 8% | A− |
| 624 | Red Oak TX | 20,394 | $105K | 5.2% | 6.0% | 3% | A− |
| 625 | Wailuku HI | 16,926 | $103K | 4.6% | 3.1% | 19% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,787 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Grayslake, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Grayslake and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Libertyville (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Grayslake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grayslake | – | A− | A− | 27 min | $113,972 |
| Round Lake Beach | under 3% | B− | A− | 30 min | $86,059 |
| Gages Lake | under 3% | B+ | A | 26 min | $103,318 |
| Libertyville | 5% | A+ | A | 26 min | $165,667 |
| Avon Township | under 3% | B | A− | 30 min | $97,925 |
| Third Lake | under 3% | A+ | A− | 30 min | $150,139 |
| Round Lake Park | under 3% | C+ | A | 33 min | $55,813 |
| Warren Township | under 3% | A− | B+ | 27 min | $104,155 |
| Hainesville | under 3% | B+ | A | 33 min | $129,911 |
| Mundelein | 3% | A | B+ | 28 min | $108,340 |
| Lake Villa Township | under 3% | A− | B− | 34 min | $119,947 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Grayslake’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 Grayslake: questions
What is the median household income in Grayslake?
$113,972 (±$4,221) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Grayslake?
6.3%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Grayslake?
27 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Grayslake work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (10%, 39 mi), Libertyville (5%, 5 mi), Gurnee (4%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Grayslake walkable?
Grayslake is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Grayslake without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 35% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Grayslake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Grayslake
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.