Photo: SHurleyVOM · CC BY-SA 4.0Unemployment in Matteson (10.9%) is higher than in 96% of U.S. towns
24% of workers work from home (Illinois 16%). For jobs and income Matteson is better than 59% of U.S. towns (B); for walkability it is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (A−). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work and commuting in Matteson, in brief
Matteson trades workers with the towns around it
Matteson has about as many jobs (8,559) as working residents (7,132), but they are mostly different people: 6,779 residents leave for work each day while 8,206 people come in. Only 4% of the jobs in Matteson are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
57% of the jobs in Matteson are in trade, transport and utilities, against 26% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Matteson and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Matteson residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in Matteson come from (13% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Matteson draws workers from far and wide
The 8,559 jobs in Matteson are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 31%; the other 65% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Matteson 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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Matteson
Job access by car holds Matteson’s grade up (ahead of 94% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down. 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, Matteson could be anywhere from B− to B+.
Matteson on a workday afternoon
On a workday 6,779 residents head out to work, 353 work right here, and 8,206 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 (1.20 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 Matteson: what the 8,559 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Matteson, 2013 → 2023: 6,779 → 8,559. 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 Matteson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
30% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Matteson 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.
The daily trip from Matteson: about 34 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Matteson workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,347 commuters (the 24% 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.
Half of Matteson commutes less than 21 miles
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: Matteson
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 8,338 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 29% 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 1.4 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 63% 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). 8.1% of Matteson households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Matteson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Matteson is 1,078th among 1,915 U.S. towns of 13,000 to 25,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,076 | Eastlake OH | 17,357 | $62K | 8.4% | 4.1% | 7% | B |
| 1,077 | Washington Township PA | 15,518 | $78K | 7.4% | 3.0% | 9% | B |
| 1,078 | Matteson IL | 18,543 | $95K | 9.7% | 10.9% | 5% | B |
| 1,079 | Boon Township IN | 13,898 | $78K | 9.2% | 3.6% | 18% | B |
| 1,080 | Richland Township OH | 14,307 | $77K | 7.3% | 2.9% | 24% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,915 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Matteson, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns around Matteson
The biggest share goes to Olympia Fields (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Matteson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matteson | – | B | A− | 34 min | $95,457 |
| Richton Park | 1% | C+ | A− | 33 min | $64,554 |
| Park Forest | under 2% | C | A | 32 min | $61,072 |
| Rich Township | under 2% | B− | A | 33 min | $83,848 |
| Olympia Fields | 2% | B+ | A+ | 43 min | $123,875 |
| Frankfort Township | under 2% | A | A− | 32 min | $134,769 |
| Frankfort Square | under 2% | A− | B− | 28 min | $126,897 |
| Frankfort | under 2% | A | A− | 35 min | $154,375 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Matteson’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 Matteson: questions
What is the median household income in Matteson?
$95,457 (±$8,654) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Matteson?
9.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Matteson?
34 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 24% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Matteson work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (30%, 23 mi), Tinley Park (2%, 5 mi), Chicago Heights (2%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Matteson walkable?
Matteson is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.0 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Matteson without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Matteson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Matteson
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.