Photo: Jefe317 · CC BY-SA 3.0At 9.9%, unemployment in North Chicago is higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
26% of workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. The two grades for North Chicago are C for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.6 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 in North Chicago: the figures worth knowing
Jobs in North Chicago have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in North Chicago went from 5,644 in 2013 to 12,431 in 2023, +120%. The jobs ↓
Commutes from North Chicago are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 84 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker, and quicker than any town next door (21 to 28 minutes). Time on the road ↓
The jobs in North Chicago pay better than its residents’ jobs
83% of the jobs based in North Chicago pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), against 56% of the jobs North Chicago residents hold. 95% of the jobs here are held by people who live outside North Chicago. The jobs ↓
North Chicago’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside North Chicago is Chicago, 34 miles away as the crow flies. 20% of working residents (1,702) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
A lot of North Chicago works from home
26% of North Chicago workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. 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; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in North Chicago
Job access by car holds North Chicago’s grade up (ahead of 92% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Chicago could be anywhere from C− to C+.
North Chicago works in goods: 41% of its jobs
12,431 jobs are based in North Chicago.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Chicago, 2013 → 2023: 5,644 → 12,431. 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 North Chicago’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from North Chicago: about 17 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Chicago workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,735 commuters (the 25% 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.
How far North Chicago goes to work
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 daily commute in and out of North Chicago
On a workday 8,087 residents head out to work, 574 work right here, and 11,857 people come in from elsewhere.
About 38,000 people are in North Chicago on a workday afternoon, 11% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.44 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.
20% of working residents work in Chicago
Where North Chicago clocks in
20% of workers
8% of workers
3% 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.
In North Chicago, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Chicago is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #32 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place North Chicago near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 17,089 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 36% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.6 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 78% 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). 13.8% of North Chicago households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of North Chicago’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 24,000 to 46,000, North Chicago ranks 1,109th of 1,255 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | West Deerfield Township IL | 32,111 | $205K | 2.7% | 2.7% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | New Lenox IL | 28,893 | $141K | 1.5% | 2.9% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Bartlett IL | 40,855 | $133K | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,107 | Garfield Heights OH | 28,790 | $55K | 22.0% | 8.4% | 6% | C |
| 1,108 | Flint Township MI | 30,844 | $62K | 17.6% | 9.1% | 11% | C |
| 1,109 | North Chicago IL | 34,050 | $60K | 24.5% | 9.9% | 7% | C |
| 1,110 | Bartlesville OK | 38,278 | $59K | 17.2% | 4.4% | 46% | C |
| 1,111 | Horizon City TX | 25,118 | $66K | 22.0% | 9.1% | 8% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 1,255 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Chicago, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
The towns next door employ 10% of North Chicago
The biggest share goes to Waukegan (8%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Chicago workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Chicago | – | C | A+ | 17 min | $60,172 |
| Shields Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 21 min | $112,865 |
| Waukegan Township | under 2% | — | — | 26 min | — |
| Lake Bluff | under 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $204,000 |
| Waukegan | 8% | C+ | A− | 26 min | $71,919 |
| Libertyville Township | 2% | A | A | 26 min | $134,398 |
Same-state neighbors only. Waukegan Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of North Chicago’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 North Chicago: questions
What is the median household income in North Chicago?
$60,172 (±$11,737) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Chicago?
24.5%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Chicago?
17 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Chicago work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (20%, 34 mi), Waukegan (8%, 4 mi), Gurnee (3%, 5 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Chicago walkable?
North Chicago is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.8 out of 20, and 31% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Chicago without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 14% of households have no car. 36% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Chicago, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Chicago
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.