Photo: davidwilson1949 · CC BY 2.0Households in Harvey earn less than those in 95% of U.S. towns
22.6% of residents are in poverty, against 11.8% across Illinois. Jobs and income earn Harvey C−; getting around on foot earns it A+. 6% of workers have no commute at all (Illinois 16%).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Harvey apart on work
Harvey trades workers with the towns around it
Harvey has about as many jobs (6,377) as working residents (7,495), but they are mostly different people: 7,141 residents leave for work each day while 6,023 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in Harvey are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Harvey and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Harvey residents (31%) and also where the most people who work in Harvey come from (16% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Harvey draws workers from far and wide
The 6,377 jobs in Harvey are filled from a wide area. Harvey’s own residents hold 6% and the ten next-biggest home towns 34%; the other 60% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Harvey than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Harvey fell from 9,083 in 2013 to 6,377 in 2023, −30%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. 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.
What’s behind Harvey’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Harvey is better than 20% of U.S. towns, #696 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Harvey’s grade up (ahead of 97% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (13.4%, U.S. 5.2%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Harvey could be anywhere from C− to C.
Who leaves Harvey for work, and who comes in
On a workday 7,141 residents head out to work, 354 work right here, and 6,023 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 (0.85 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.
31% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Harvey clocks in
31% of workers
4% of workers
2% 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.
What the 6,377 jobs in Harvey are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Harvey, 2013 → 2023: 9,083 → 6,377. 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 Harvey’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From Harvey, about 30 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Harvey workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,454 commuters (the 6% 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.
Short hops and long hauls from Harvey
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.
Harvey is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 7,890 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 73% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 11.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 94% 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). 23.7% of Harvey households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Harvey’s commuters take a bus or train.
Harvey next to U.S. towns of 14,000 to 27,000: 1,668th of 1,860 on jobs and income
| # | 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 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,666 | Greenfield MA | 17,691 | $56K | 15.2% | 6.3% | 26% | C− |
| 1,667 | Washington Court House OH | 14,375 | $56K | 17.7% | 5.3% | 22% | C− |
| 1,668 | Harvey IL | 19,849 | $42K | 22.6% | 13.4% | 5% | C− |
| 1,669 | Havelock NC | 17,430 | $58K | 14.3% | 4.9% | 16% | C− |
| 1,670 | Genesee Township MI | 20,266 | $57K | 17.8% | 10.2% | 4% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,860 | 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 Harvey, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door to Harvey
The biggest share goes to South Holland (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Harvey workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey | – | C− | A+ | 30 min | $42,429 |
| South Holland | 4% | B− | A | 34 min | $85,280 |
| Markham | 2% | C | A | 36 min | $57,302 |
| Phoenix | under 2% | C | A+ | 28 min | $30,288 |
| Dixmoor | under 2% | C− | A+ | 23 min | $44,600 |
| Dolton | under 2% | C | A+ | 31 min | $57,887 |
| East Hazel Crest | under 2% | C+ | A | 26 min | $54,950 |
| Posen | under 2% | C+ | A− | 24 min | $73,051 |
| Hazel Crest | 1% | C | A+ | 27 min | $68,393 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Harvey’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 Harvey: questions
What is the median household income in Harvey?
$42,429 (±$5,339) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Harvey?
22.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Harvey?
30 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Harvey work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (31%, 16 mi), South Holland (4%, 3 mi), Homewood (2%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Harvey walkable?
Harvey is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.0 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Harvey without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 24% of households have no car. 73% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Harvey, from the people who make the trip.
More of Harvey
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.