More people are out of work in Norridge (8.0%) than in 88% of U.S. towns
Norridge grades B for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 7.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago. Only 6% work in Norridge; the top destination outside it is Chicago (34%, 11 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Jobs and commuting in Norridge: the gist
Norridge and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Norridge residents (34%) and also where the most people who work in Norridge come from (35% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Norridge’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 34 minutes, longer than the Illinois average of 28. Time on the road ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Norridge
62% of Norridge residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 35% of the jobs based in Norridge pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. 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.
The four measures behind Norridge’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Norridge is better than 65% of U.S. towns, #378 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Norridge’s grade up (among the top 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, Norridge could be anywhere from B− to A−.
The towns that employ Norridge’s residents
Where Norridge clocks in
34% of workers
3% 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.
From Norridge, about 34 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Norridge workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 6,447 commuters (the 9% 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.
What work there is in Norridge: 5,217 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Norridge, 2013 → 2023: 5,470 → 5,217. 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 Norridge’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Norridge: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 6,281 residents head out to work, 367 work right here, and 4,850 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in Norridge on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.78 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 Norridge commutes
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: Norridge
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Norridge is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #75 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 6.0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 10.8% across Illinois.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 7,077 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, 32% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 7.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 90% 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). 9.2% of Norridge households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Norridge’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Norridge is 1,161st of 2,362 U.S. towns of 10,000 to 20,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Deerfield IL | 19,642 | $182K | 2.8% | 2.7% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,159 | Fort Atkinson WI | 12,388 | $79K | 6.7% | 4.5% | 28% | B |
| 1,160 | Emeryville CA | 13,251 | $117K | 13.8% | 6.4% | 8% | B |
| 1,161 | Norridge IL | 14,808 | $88K | 7.9% | 8.0% | 6% | B |
| 1,162 | Fort Gratiot Township MI | 11,715 | $87K | 3.9% | 4.6% | 7% | B |
| 1,163 | Tucson Estates AZ | 12,136 | $67K | 7.8% | 2.4% | 3% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,362 | 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 Norridge, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Around Norridge: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Harwood Heights (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Norridge workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norridge | – | B | A | 34 min | $87,807 |
| Norwood Park Township | under 2% | A− | A+ | 32 min | $90,376 |
| Harwood Heights | 2% | A | A+ | 29 min | $81,086 |
| Leyden Township | under 2% | B+ | A | 29 min | $79,935 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Norridge’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 Norridge: questions
What is the median household income in Norridge?
$87,807 (±$7,899) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Norridge?
7.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Norridge?
34 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 9% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Norridge work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (34%, 11 mi), Des Plaines (3%, 6 mi), Elk Grove Village (2%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Norridge walkable?
Norridge is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 15.3 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Norridge without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 32% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Norridge, from the people who make the trip.
More of Norridge
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.