Photo: bogdanstepniak · CC BY 3.0Itasca has 4.3 jobs for every working resident: 19,779 people commute in to work
Household incomes here are higher than in 86% of U.S. towns. Itasca has 20,112 jobs, and 4,652 of its residents work somewhere. Jobs and income earn Itasca A+; getting around on foot earns it A.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Itasca
Itasca fills up on a workday
Itasca has 20,112 jobs, 4.3 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 25,000 people are in town, more than double the 9,500 who live here. Day and night ↓
Itasca draws workers from far and wide
The 20,112 jobs in Itasca are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 27%; the other 71% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Itasca and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Itasca residents (15%) and also where the most people who work in Itasca come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most jobs in Itasca pay over $40,000 a year
77% of the jobs based in Itasca pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
The biggest group of Itasca’s workers comes from Chicago
2,329 of the people who work in Itasca live in Chicago, 20 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
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 Itasca
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Itasca is better than 98% of U.S. towns, #16 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car is its strongest input (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (2.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Itasca could be anywhere from A to A+.
The daily flow of workers through Itasca
On a workday 4,319 residents head out to work and 333 work right here.
About 25,000 people are in Itasca on a workday afternoon, 163% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in Itasca, and from where
Where Itasca clocks in
15% of workers
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.
77% of the jobs in Itasca pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Itasca, 2013 → 2023: 22,103 → 20,112. 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 Itasca’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Itasca spends getting to work: about 26 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Itasca workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,012 commuters (the 23% 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 Itasca goes to work
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Itasca
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Itasca is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #86 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Itasca 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 5,199 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 70% 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 1.9 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). 3.8% of Itasca households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Itasca’s commuters take a bus or train.
60th of 2,831: where Itasca ranks among U.S. towns of 6,600 to 12,800
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 7 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 19 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Maltby WA | 10,910 | $185K | 3.9% | 1.4% | 4% | A+ |
| 59 | Winnetka IL | 12,518 | $250K | 1.6% | 3.4% | 7% | A+ |
| 60 | Itasca IL | 9,488 | $114K | 2.0% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| 61 | Oakwood OH | 9,441 | $157K | 2.7% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 62 | Bexley OH | 12,452 | $158K | 3.5% | 2.5% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 73 | Lincolnshire IL | 7,963 | $186K | 5.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,831 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Itasca, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door to Itasca
The biggest share goes to Elk Grove Village (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Itasca workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itasca | – | A+ | A | 26 min | $114,294 |
| Wood Dale | 3% | A− | A− | 28 min | $91,382 |
| Roselle | under 2% | A− | A− | 27 min | $111,318 |
| Elk Grove Village | 6% | A− | B+ | 26 min | $94,175 |
| Addison Township | under 2% | A− | A | 26 min | $90,991 |
| Elk Grove Township | under 2% | A− | A | 25 min | $88,801 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Itasca’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 Itasca: questions
What is the median household income in Itasca?
$114,294 (±$7,057) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Itasca?
2.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Itasca?
26 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Itasca work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (15%, 20 mi), Elk Grove Village (6%, 2 mi), Schaumburg (5%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Itasca walkable?
Itasca is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 11.4 out of 20, and 9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Itasca without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Itasca, from the people who make the trip.
More of Itasca
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.