At 1.3%, unemployment in Helvetia Township is lower than in 92% of U.S. towns
Working residents average 30 minutes each way (Illinois 28, U.S. 26). The two grades for Helvetia Township are A− for jobs and income and C for walkability. About one in seven work in Helvetia Township itself; outside it, Highland draws the most (21%, 5 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Helvetia Township at work: what stands out
Helvetia Township and Highland trade workers both ways
Highland is the top workplace for Helvetia Township residents (21%) and also where the most people who work in Helvetia Township come from (24% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A longer commute than the towns next door
Helvetia Township averages 30 minutes each way, more than any bordering town (25 to 27 minutes). Next door ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, 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 Helvetia Township’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Helvetia Township is better than 82% of U.S. towns, #216 of 768 in Illinois. Unemployment is its strongest input; job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 60% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Helvetia Township could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Where Helvetia Township goes to work
Where Helvetia Township clocks in
6% 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.
Who works in Helvetia Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 3,281 residents head out to work, 459 work right here, and 2,004 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,000 people are in Helvetia Township on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.66 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
34% of the jobs in Helvetia Township make or build things
2,463 jobs are based in Helvetia Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Helvetia Township, 2014 → 2024: 2,854 → 2,463. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Helvetia Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Helvetia Township: about 30 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Helvetia Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,043 commuters (the 12% 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.
How far Helvetia Township goes to work
About 16% 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 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most trips from Helvetia Township start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Helvetia Township is more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns, #690 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.7% 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 4,601 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). 6.4% of Helvetia Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Helvetia Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 5,800 to 11,200, Helvetia Township ranks 727th of 3,012 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 61 | Itasca IL | 9,488 | $114K | 2.0% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 725 | LaGrange Township OH | 6,953 | $91K | 4.2% | 3.3% | 7% | A− |
| 726 | Lincoln Park NJ | 10,950 | $123K | 2.9% | 10.1% | 7% | A− |
| 727 | Helvetia Township IL | 8,312 | $85K | 6.1% | 1.3% | 12% | A− |
| 728 | Picnic Point WA | 10,261 | $130K | 7.2% | 4.7% | 1% | A− |
| 729 | Bloomingdale NJ | 7,853 | $128K | 11.9% | 3.6% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,012 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | 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 Helvetia Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns around Helvetia Township
The biggest share goes to Saline Township (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Helvetia Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helvetia Township | – | A− | C | 30 min | $84,590 |
| Saline Township | 2% | A | B | 25 min | $105,903 |
| St. Jacob Township | under 3% | A+ | C | 26 min | $120,975 |
| St. Rose Township | under 3% | A− | C+ | 25 min | $107,458 |
| Sugar Creek Township | under 3% | A− | B | 27 min | $102,723 |
| Marine Township | under 3% | A | C− | 27 min | $98,194 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Helvetia 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 2024, 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 Helvetia Township: questions
What is the median household income in Helvetia Township?
$84,590 (±$8,875) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Helvetia Township?
6.1%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Helvetia Township?
30 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Helvetia Township work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Highland (21%, 5 mi), St. Louis (6%, 32 mi), Edwardsville (5%, 19 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Helvetia Township walkable?
Helvetia Township is more walkable than 26% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.3 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Helvetia Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Helvetia Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Helvetia Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.