With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Nelson Township works elsewhere
Employers in Nelson Township report 68 jobs; 335 of its residents have a job. Only 1% work in Nelson Township; the top destination outside it is Dixon (17%, 6 miles). 2% of workers work from home; Illinois has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Nelson Township and work: the main findings
Nelson Township is a place people come home to
There are 68 jobs based in Nelson Township, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Nelson Township has about 480 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
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 ↓
Few Nelson Township 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 ↓
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; with 335 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Nelson Township on a workday afternoon
On a workday 331 residents head out to work, 4 work right here, and 64 people come in from elsewhere.
About 480 people are in Nelson Township on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
How many miles Nelson Township commutes
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.
The trip to work from Nelson Township: about 22 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Nelson Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 303 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.
Commuting out of Nelson Township: the destinations
Where Nelson Township clocks in
17% of workers
13% 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.
78% of the jobs in Nelson Township pay over $3,333 a month
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Nelson Township, 2013 → 2023: 17 → 68. 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 Nelson Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Around Nelson Township: the bordering towns
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Nelson Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Township | – | — | — | 22 min | $77,813 |
| Palmyra Township | under 2% | B− | C+ | 18 min | $93,689 |
| South Dixon Township | under 2% | — | — | 18 min | — |
| Coloma Township | under 2% | D | A− | 17 min | $52,152 |
| Harmon Township | under 2% | — | — | 23 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. South Dixon Township and Harmon Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Nelson 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 Nelson Township: questions
What is the median household income in Nelson Township?
$77,813 (±$38,401) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Nelson Township?
5.6%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Nelson Township?
22 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Nelson Township work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Dixon (17%, 6 mi), Sterling (13%, 6 mi), Amboy (4%, 13 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Nelson Township without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Nelson Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Nelson 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.