Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Hinsdale earn more than in almost any other U.S. town
Household incomes here are among the highest in the country. Below the poverty line: 2.9% of residents, where Illinois as a whole has 11.8%. The two grades for Hinsdale are A+ for jobs and income and A+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Hinsdale: the gist
A lot of Hinsdale works from home
32% of Hinsdale workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
Hinsdale is where the jobs are
Hinsdale has 11,447 jobs, 1.6 for every working resident. Day and night ↓
Hinsdale draws workers from far and wide
The 11,447 jobs in Hinsdale are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 31%; the other 66% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Hinsdale and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Hinsdale residents (31%) and also where the most people who work in Hinsdale come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Hinsdale is services
88% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 3% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
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.
Where Hinsdale’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Hinsdale is among the top U.S. towns, #14 of 768 in Illinois. Household income is its strongest input ($250,000+, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
The Census reports Hinsdale’s median household income as $250,000+, the top of its scale; the grade ranks it as tied with the 111 other graded places at that ceiling.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Hinsdale could be anywhere from A to A+.
The trip to work from Hinsdale: about 32 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hinsdale workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,034 commuters (the 32% 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.
The daily commute in and out of Hinsdale
On a workday 6,716 residents head out to work, 325 work right here, and 11,122 people come in from elsewhere.
About 22,000 people are in Hinsdale on a workday afternoon, 25% more than live here.
1.6 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than 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.
Where the people who work in Hinsdale live
Where Hinsdale clocks in
31% of workers
3% of workers
3% 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 Hinsdale, services account for most jobs
11,447 jobs are based in Hinsdale.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hinsdale, 2014 → 2024: 9,359 → 11,447. 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 Hinsdale’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Hinsdale goes to work
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.
Hinsdale is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Hinsdale is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns, #61 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Hinsdale near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 7,390 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 42% 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 2.0 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 68% 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). 2.3% of Hinsdale households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 14% of Hinsdale’s commuters take a bus or train.
Hinsdale places 29th of 2,103 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 12,000 to 24,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 15 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 27 | Skippack Township PA | 14,502 | $148K | 2.5% | 2.4% | 5% | A+ |
| 28 | Franconia VA | 18,335 | $152K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 29 | Hinsdale IL | 17,573 | $250K | 2.9% | 3.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 30 | Hugo MN | 17,167 | $116K | 2.8% | 1.6% | 5% | A+ |
| 31 | Nolensville TN | 15,789 | $177K | 2.1% | 2.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,103 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 28% | 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 Hinsdale, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Work in the towns next to Hinsdale
The biggest share goes to Oak Brook (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hinsdale workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinsdale | – | A+ | A+ | 32 min | $250,000+ |
| Burr Ridge | 1% | A+ | A | 29 min | $156,829 |
| Oak Brook | 3% | A− | A | 32 min | $175,870 |
| Western Springs | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 31 min | $230,255 |
| Indian Head Park | under 2% | B+ | A | 30 min | $100,149 |
| Westmont | 3% | A− | A | 27 min | $88,090 |
| Clarendon Hills | under 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $130,388 |
| Downers Grove Township | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $117,335 |
| York Township | under 2% | A− | A | 27 min | $112,233 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hinsdale’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.
- A ceiling on income. The Census stops at $250,000+, so the true median may be higher.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Hinsdale: questions
What is the median household income in Hinsdale?
$250,000+ (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hinsdale?
2.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hinsdale?
32 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hinsdale work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (31%, 13 mi), Oak Brook (3%, 3 mi), Westmont (3%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Hinsdale walkable?
Hinsdale is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 10.9 out of 20, and 18% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hinsdale without a car?
14% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hinsdale, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hinsdale
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.