Long Grove’s household incomes are among the highest in the country
Jobs & income A+: among the top U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #2 of 768 in Illinois.
Walkability A−: more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns · #323 of 768 in Illinois.
Working residents average 34 minutes each way (Illinois 28, U.S. 26). Only 1% work in Long Grove; the top destination outside it is Chicago (18%, 30 miles).
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.2 transit trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago (EPA, 2020 schedules).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Long Grove
Home offices are common in Long Grove
35% of Long Grove workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
Long Grove has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Long Grove went from 1,200 in 2013 to 2,278 in 2023, +90%. The jobs ↓
Long Grove’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Long Grove is Chicago, 30 miles away as the crow flies. 18% of working residents (712) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Long Grove workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 34 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 261 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
What’s behind Long Grove’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Long Grove is among the top U.S. towns, #2 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 (2.1%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
The Census reports Long Grove’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 firm grade. At either end of the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Long Grove stays A+.
About 34 minutes each way, longer than most of Illinois
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Long Grove workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,727 commuters (the 35% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
65% of the jobs in Long Grove pay over $3,333 a month
2,278 jobs are based in Long Grove. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Long Grove’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Long Grove, 2013 → 2023: 1,200 → 2,278. 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.
Half of Long Grove commutes less than 12 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Long Grove quiets down on a workday
On a workday 3,878 residents head out to work, 39 work right here, and 2,239 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,700 people are in Long Grove on a workday afternoon, 20% fewer than live here.
0.58 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 2023, primary jobs.
18% of working residents work in Chicago
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Long Grove clocks in
18% of workers
4% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
Long Grove 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, Long Grove is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns, #323 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Long Grove 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 4,182 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 0.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 43% 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). 1.0% of Long Grove households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Long Grove’s commuters take a bus or train.
Long Grove is 12th of 3,042 U.S. towns of 5,800 to 11,300 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Long Grove, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 10 | Hainesport Township NJ | 6,197 | $143K | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| 11 | Difficult Run VA | 9,938 | $250K | 1.4% | 1.9% | 3% | A+ |
| 12 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 13 | Waldwick NJ | 10,252 | $178K | 1.4% | 2.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 14 | Irvington NY | 6,533 | $173K | 1.6% | 2.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 62 | Itasca IL | 9,488 | $114K | 2.0% | 2.6% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 74 | Lincolnshire IL | 7,963 | $186K | 5.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,042 | 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.
Long Grove and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Buffalo Grove (3%). Darker towns draw more of Long Grove’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Long Grove workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Grove | – | A+ | A− | 34 min | $250,000+ |
| Buffalo Grove | 3% | A | A | 26 min | $129,395 |
| Mundelein | under 3% | A | B+ | 28 min | $108,340 |
| Kildeer | under 3% | A | B− | 30 min | $250,000+ |
| Vernon Hills | 3% | A | A− | 27 min | $121,943 |
| Hawthorn Woods | under 3% | A | A− | 40 min | $219,631 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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.
- 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 Long Grove: questions
What is the median household income in Long Grove?
$250,000+ (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Long Grove?
1.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Long Grove?
34 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 35% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Long Grove work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (18%, 30 mi), Schaumburg (4%, 12 mi), Buffalo Grove (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Long Grove walkable?
Long Grove is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 8.1 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Long Grove without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Long Grove, from the people who make the trip.
More of Long Grove
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.