Photo: Imdanielduncan · CC BY 4.0Households in LaSalle earn less than those in 77% of U.S. towns
2% of workers work from home, next to 16% for Illinois as a whole. 18.8% of residents are in poverty, next to 11.8% for Illinois as a whole. For jobs and income LaSalle is better than 25% of U.S. towns (C); for walkability it is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (B+).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where LaSalle stands out on work
LaSalle and Peru trade workers both ways
Peru is the top workplace for LaSalle residents (17%) and also where the most people who work in LaSalle come from (15% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Commutes from LaSalle are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 61 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Few LaSalle workers work from home
Only 2% of workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
35% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
The four measures behind LaSalle’s grade
Job access by car holds LaSalle’s grade up (ahead of 53% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, LaSalle could be anywhere from D to C+.
17% of working residents work in Peru
Where LaSalle clocks in
17% of workers
7% of workers
4% 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 trip to work from LaSalle: about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of LaSalle workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,683 commuters (the 2% 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 commute from LaSalle, by distance
About 35% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Who leaves LaSalle for work, and who comes in
On a workday 3,823 residents head out to work, 468 work right here, and 2,859 people come in from elsewhere.
About 8,400 people are in LaSalle on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 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.
Jobs in LaSalle: what the 3,327 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in LaSalle, 2013 → 2023: 3,481 → 3,327. 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 LaSalle’s own residents hold wherever they work.
For most of LaSalle, work means a drive
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,785 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 10.1% of LaSalle households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of LaSalle’s commuters take a bus or train.
How LaSalle ranks: 2,270th of 2,806 U.S. towns of 6,600 to 12,700
| # | 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 | Winnetka IL | 12,518 | $250K | 1.6% | 3.4% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 2,268 | Magnolia AR | 10,660 | $56K | 22.7% | 2.7% | 45% | C |
| 2,269 | Shasta Lake CA | 10,208 | $67K | 13.3% | 7.2% | 9% | C |
| 2,270 | LaSalle IL | 9,388 | $58K | 18.8% | 5.0% | 11% | C |
| 2,271 | Moundsville WV | 7,659 | $49K | 22.5% | 3.2% | 18% | C |
| 2,272 | Sealy TX | 7,937 | $57K | 21.4% | 5.4% | 13% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,806 | 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 LaSalle, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns next door employ 17% of LaSalle
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | LaSalle workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaSalle | – | C | B+ | 20 min | $57,732 |
| Peru | 17% | B | B | 19 min | $74,808 |
| North Utica | under 2% | A− | C+ | 27 min | $104,028 |
| Peru Township | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| LaSalle Township | under 2% | C | B | 21 min | $61,240 |
| Dimmick Township | under 2% | — | — | 19 min | — |
| Utica Township | under 2% | A− | C | 26 min | $113,060 |
Same-state neighbors only. Peru Township: not graded. Dimmick Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Peru. Darker towns draw more of LaSalle’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 LaSalle: questions
What is the median household income in LaSalle?
$57,732 (±$5,714) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in LaSalle?
18.8%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from LaSalle?
20 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in LaSalle work?
11% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Peru (17%, 3 mi), Ottawa (7%, 14 mi), Chicago (4%, 81 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is LaSalle walkable?
LaSalle is more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around LaSalle without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 10% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from LaSalle, from the people who make the trip.
More of LaSalle
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.