North Barrington ranks among the highest-earning U.S. towns by household income
4.8% of residents are in poverty (Illinois 11.8%). Household incomes here are among the highest in the country. For jobs and income North Barrington is better than 95% of U.S. towns (A+); for walkability it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (A−).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from North Barrington
Fewer jobs are based in North Barrington than ten years ago
Jobs counted in North Barrington fell from 1,956 in 2014 to 937 in 2024, −52%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
North Barrington’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside North Barrington is Chicago, 34 miles away as the crow flies. 16% of working residents (223) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
North Barrington workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 38 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 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind North Barrington’s Jobs & income grade
Household income is its strongest input ($226,055, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.4%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Barrington could be anywhere from A− to A+.
North Barrington is a services town
937 jobs are based in North Barrington.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Barrington, 2014 → 2024: 1,956 → 937. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs North Barrington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far North Barrington’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
North Barrington’s commute takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Barrington workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,171 commuters (the 22% 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.
North Barrington quiets down on a workday
On a workday 1,414 residents head out to work, 16 work right here, and 921 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,600 people are in North Barrington on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.66 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
16% of working residents work in Chicago
Where North Barrington clocks in
16% of workers
5% of workers
5% 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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: North Barrington
How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 12.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 10.8% across Illinois, on an EPA index of 6.9.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,510 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% 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 under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% 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). 0.4% of North Barrington households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 9% of North Barrington’s commuters take a bus or train.
North Barrington is 193rd of 4,562 U.S. towns of 2,200 to 4,200 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 20 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 191 | Jonestown TX | 2,687 | $128K | 4.3% | 1.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 192 | Elizabeth Township PA | 3,951 | $100K | 4.8% | 0.0% | 5% | A+ |
| 193 | North Barrington IL | 3,125 | $226K | 4.8% | 3.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 194 | Leo-Cedarville IN | 3,790 | $116K | 0.0% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| 195 | Riverdale NJ | 4,144 | $103K | 7.7% | 0.8% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,562 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | 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 North Barrington, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Around North Barrington: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Lake Zurich (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Barrington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Barrington | – | A+ | A− | 33 min | $226,055 |
| Lake Barrington | under 2% | A− | B+ | 33 min | $141,958 |
| Lake Zurich | 5% | A+ | A− | 28 min | $135,968 |
| Deer Park | under 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $174,458 |
| Cuba Township | under 2% | A | A− | 32 min | $154,263 |
| Ela Township | under 2% | A+ | A− | 31 min | $173,916 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Barrington’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 2024, 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 North Barrington: questions
What is the median household income in North Barrington?
$226,055 (±$14,797) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Barrington?
4.8%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Barrington?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 22% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Barrington work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (16%, 34 mi), Schaumburg (5%, 12 mi), Lake Zurich (5%, 2 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is North Barrington walkable?
North Barrington is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 6.9 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Barrington without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and <1% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Barrington, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Barrington
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.