Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 3.0At 8.1%, unemployment in Homewood is higher than in 88% of U.S. towns
Household incomes here are higher than in 77% of U.S. towns. The two grades for Homewood are B for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Homewood, in a few figures
Homewood trades workers with the towns around it
Homewood has about as many jobs (9,058) as working residents (7,899), but they are mostly different people: 7,326 residents leave for work each day while 8,485 people come in. Only 6% of the jobs in Homewood are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Homewood and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Homewood residents (25%) and also where the most people who work in Homewood come from (17% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Homewood
60% of Homewood residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 38% of the jobs based in Homewood pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 93% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Homewood draws workers from far and wide
The 9,058 jobs in Homewood are filled from a wide area. Homewood’s own residents hold 6% and the ten next-biggest home towns 32%; the other 62% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Homewood has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Homewood went from 6,219 in 2013 to 9,058 in 2023, +46%. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
Homewood’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Homewood is better than 64% of U.S. towns, #389 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Homewood’s grade up (ahead of 95% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. 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, Homewood could be anywhere from B− to A−.
The daily commute in and out of Homewood
On a workday 7,326 residents head out to work, 573 work right here, and 8,485 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 (1.15 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.
25% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Homewood clocks in
25% 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.
The kinds of work in Homewood
9,058 jobs are based in Homewood.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Homewood, 2013 → 2023: 6,219 → 9,058. 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 Homewood’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Homewood: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Homewood workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 7,255 commuters (the 17% 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.
Miles to work from Homewood
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.
Homewood is easy on foot, hard by bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Homewood is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #45 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Homewood 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 8,702 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 76% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 6% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 80% 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). 5.7% of Homewood households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 13% of Homewood’s commuters take a bus or train.
978th of 1,915: where Homewood ranks among U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 976 | Alcoa TN | 13,689 | $66K | 12.9% | 2.0% | 15% | B |
| 977 | Hillside Township NJ | 22,860 | $100K | 10.7% | 7.6% | 5% | B |
| 978 | Homewood IL | 18,773 | $100K | 9.4% | 8.1% | 7% | B |
| 979 | Berea OH | 17,920 | $75K | 8.1% | 5.2% | 9% | B |
| 980 | Clinton MA | 15,718 | $90K | 8.6% | 5.4% | 12% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | 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 Homewood, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Work in the towns next to Homewood
The biggest share goes to Flossmoor (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Homewood workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homewood | – | B | A+ | 33 min | $100,139 |
| Flossmoor | 2% | A− | A | 33 min | $133,663 |
| Hazel Crest | under 2% | C | A+ | 27 min | $68,393 |
| East Hazel Crest | under 2% | C+ | A | 26 min | $54,950 |
| Thornton | under 2% | C+ | B+ | 26 min | $59,647 |
| Glenwood | under 2% | B− | A | 30 min | $77,391 |
| Bloom Township | under 2% | C+ | A | 33 min | $73,530 |
| Rich Township | under 2% | B− | A | 33 min | $83,848 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Homewood’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 Homewood: questions
What is the median household income in Homewood?
$100,139 (±$10,332) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Homewood?
9.4%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Homewood?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Homewood work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (25%, 19 mi), Flossmoor (2%, 2 mi), Chicago Heights (2%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Homewood walkable?
Homewood is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 12.4 out of 20, and 14% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Homewood without a car?
13% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 6% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Homewood, from the people who make the trip.
More of Homewood
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.