Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0Fewer people are out of work in Makanda Township (1.3%) than in 92% of U.S. towns
A typical one-way commute lasts 21 minutes, next to 28 for Illinois and 26 for the U.S. Makanda Township grades B+ for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Only 3% work in Makanda Township; the top destination outside it is Carbondale (39%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Makanda Township stands out on work
Fewer jobs are based in Makanda Township than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Makanda Township fell from 452 in 2013 to 206 in 2023, −54%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Makanda Township is a place people come home to
There are 206 jobs based in Makanda Township, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Makanda Township has about 2,700 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
39% of Makanda Township works in Carbondale
568 working residents, 39%, have their main job in Carbondale, 5.9 miles away. That’s 13 times as many as work in Makanda Township itself. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Makanda Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois 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.
Where Makanda Township’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Makanda Township is better than 71% of U.S. towns, #339 of 768 in Illinois. Unemployment holds Makanda Township’s grade up; job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 43% of U.S. towns). 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, Makanda Township could be anywhere from B− to A−.
Services make up most of the work in Makanda Township
206 jobs are based in Makanda Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Makanda Township, 2013 → 2023: 452 → 206. 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 Makanda Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Who works in Makanda Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 1,417 residents head out to work, 46 work right here, and 160 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,700 people are in Makanda Township on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
0.14 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.
Where people from Makanda Township work
Where Makanda Township clocks in
39% of workers
8% 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.
Getting to work from Makanda Township takes about 21 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Makanda Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,675 commuters (the 14% 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.
Makanda Township’s commute, mile by mile
About 22% 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.
Driving is how Makanda Township gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Makanda Township is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns, #735 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Makanda Township 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 1,948 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). 4.1% of Makanda Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Makanda Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Makanda Township next to U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,400: 1,247th of 4,177 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 25 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,245 | St. Bernard OH | 3,983 | $67K | 7.9% | 3.2% | 7% | B+ |
| 1,246 | Royersford PA | 4,888 | $75K | 12.5% | 2.4% | 4% | B+ |
| 1,247 | Makanda Township IL | 3,987 | $85K | 8.5% | 1.3% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,248 | Columbus Township NE | 3,360 | $98K | 10.1% | 1.1% | 12% | B+ |
| 1,249 | Beaver Dam WI | 4,105 | $82K | 5.0% | 3.5% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,177 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Makanda Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Makanda Township and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Makanda Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makanda Township | – | B+ | C− | 21 min | $84,688 |
| Carbondale Township | 3% | — | — | 17 min | — |
| Pomona Township | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Makanda | under 2% | — | — | 24 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Carbondale Township: not graded. Pomona Township and Makanda: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Carbondale Township. Darker towns draw more of Makanda Township’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 Makanda Township: questions
What is the median household income in Makanda Township?
$84,688 (±$14,301) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Makanda Township?
8.5%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Makanda Township?
21 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Makanda Township work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Carbondale (39%, 6 mi), Marion (8%, 16 mi), Murphysboro (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Makanda Township walkable?
Makanda Township is more walkable than 16% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 5.2 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Makanda Township without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Makanda Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Makanda Township
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.