More people are out of work in Markham (8.7%) than in 91% of U.S. towns
Markham grades C for jobs and income and A for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.8 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago. Measured by household income, Markham is behind 78% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Markham and work: the main findings
Stores, warehouses and trucking
76% of the jobs in Markham are in trade, transport and utilities, against 29% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Markham trades workers with the towns around it
Markham has about as many jobs (5,180) as working residents (4,595), but they are mostly different people: 4,430 residents leave for work each day while 5,015 people come in. Only 3% of the jobs in Markham are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Markham and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Markham residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in Markham come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Markham workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 61 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (24 to 32 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Markham has added jobs fast
Jobs based in Markham went from 3,361 in 2013 to 5,180 in 2023, +54%. 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.
The figures behind Markham’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Markham is better than 31% of U.S. towns, #625 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Markham’s grade up (ahead of 96% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Markham could be anywhere from C− to B.
What Markham’s employers do
5,180 jobs are based in Markham.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Markham, 2013 → 2023: 3,361 → 5,180. 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 Markham’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Markham
On a workday 4,430 residents head out to work, 165 work right here, and 5,015 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 (1.13 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.
30% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Markham clocks in
30% of workers
2% 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.
About 36 minutes to work from Markham
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Markham workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,864 commuters (the 13% 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 distance from Markham 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.
In Markham, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Markham is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns, #95 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Markham 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 4,427 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). Nearly all residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 37% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.8 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). 7.0% of Markham households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 6% of Markham’s commuters take a bus or train.
Markham next to U.S. towns of 8,000 to 15,000: 1,938th of 2,507 on jobs and income
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,936 | Newton NJ | 8,486 | $76K | 15.1% | 9.9% | 14% | C |
| 1,937 | Ivins UT | 11,546 | $78K | 11.8% | 6.7% | 10% | C |
| 1,938 | Markham IL | 11,274 | $57K | 18.0% | 8.7% | 4% | C |
| 1,939 | Ravenna OH | 11,136 | $60K | 19.1% | 6.0% | 14% | C |
| 1,940 | Malone NY | 11,677 | $68K | 17.5% | 3.0% | 47% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 2,507 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | 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 Markham, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Work in the towns next to Markham
The biggest share goes to Harvey (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Markham workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Markham | – | C | A | 36 min | $57,302 |
| Harvey | 2% | C− | A+ | 30 min | $42,429 |
| Oak Forest | under 2% | A− | A | 32 min | $91,990 |
| Hazel Crest | under 2% | C | A+ | 27 min | $68,393 |
| Midlothian | under 2% | B | A | 29 min | $70,000 |
| Country Club Hills | under 2% | B− | A− | 31 min | $75,197 |
| Posen | under 2% | C+ | A− | 24 min | $73,051 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Markham’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 Markham: questions
What is the median household income in Markham?
$57,302 (±$12,364) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Markham?
18.0%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Markham?
36 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Markham work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (30%, 16 mi), South Holland (2%, 4 mi), Harvey (2%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Markham walkable?
Markham is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.2 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Markham without a car?
6% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. 37% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Markham, from the people who make the trip.
More of Markham
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.