Photo: artistmac · CC BY-SA 2.0Earning a living in Normal Township
The trip to work takes 16 minutes on average; Illinois averages 28, the U.S. 26. About one in five stay in Normal Township for work; outside it, Bloomington is the main destination (35%, 4 miles). Normal Township has 19,968 jobs; 20,110 of its residents have a job.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Normal Township stands out on work
Much of Normal Township works one town over
61% of working residents work in a town that borders Normal Township: Bloomington (35%) and Normal (26%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Normal Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 16 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 92 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
Normal Township trades workers with the towns around it
Normal Township has about as many jobs (19,968) as working residents (20,110), but they are mostly different people: 16,000 residents leave for work each day while 15,858 people come in. Only 21% of the jobs in Normal Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Most Normal Township residents work close to home
62% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home. How far ↓
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.
From Normal Township, about 16 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Normal Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 22,791 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 workday shuffle in and out of Normal Township
On a workday 16,000 residents head out to work, 4,110 work right here, and 15,858 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 (0.99 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.
How many miles Normal Township commutes
About 23% 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 towns that employ Normal Township’s residents
Where Normal Township clocks in
35% of workers
26% 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 kinds of work in Normal Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Normal Township, 2013 → 2023: 20,108 → 19,968. 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 Normal Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The towns next door employ 61% of Normal Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Normal Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Township | – | — | — | 16 min | $63,708 |
| Bloomington | 35% | B+ | A | 17 min | $77,384 |
| Bloomington City Township | under 1% | B+ | A | 17 min | $77,384 |
| Normal | 26% | B+ | A+ | 17 min | $64,785 |
| Dry Grove Township | under 1% | A | C | 28 min | $117,813 |
| Towanda Township | under 1% | A | C− | 18 min | $118,875 |
| Hudson Township | under 1% | A+ | D | 26 min | $113,897 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Bloomington. Darker towns draw more of Normal 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 Normal Township: questions
What is the median household income in Normal Township?
$63,708 (±$7,230) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Normal Township?
21.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Normal Township?
16 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Normal Township work?
20% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bloomington (35%, 4 mi), Normal (26%, 1 mi), Peoria (4%, 36 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Can you get around Normal Township without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Normal Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Normal 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.