Photo: MrHarman · CC BY-SA 3.0Unemployment in North Riverside (2.4%) is lower than in 79% of U.S. towns
North Riverside grades A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 6.5 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago. Only 2% work in North Riverside itself; outside it, Chicago draws the most (30%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where North Riverside stands out on work
North Riverside trades workers with the towns around it
North Riverside has about as many jobs (3,652) as working residents (3,533), but they are mostly different people: 3,450 residents leave for work each day while 3,569 people come in. Only 2% of the jobs in North Riverside are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
North Riverside and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for North Riverside residents (30%) and also where the most people who work in North Riverside come from (28% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
56% of the jobs in North Riverside are in trade, transport and utilities, against 22% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside North Riverside
63% of North Riverside residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 32% of the jobs based in North Riverside pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 98% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in North Riverside pay little
30% of the jobs based in North Riverside pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. Young workers hold many of them: 44% of all the jobs here go to people 29 or younger. 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.
How North Riverside earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, North Riverside is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #197 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car is its strongest input (among the top U.S. towns); household income ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns ($77,170, U.S. $80,734). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, North Riverside could be anywhere from B to A+.
How a workday changes North Riverside
On a workday 3,450 residents head out to work, 83 work right here, and 3,569 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 (1.03 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.
Out of North Riverside to work: where people go
Where North Riverside clocks in
30% of workers
3% 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.
Jobs in North Riverside: what the 3,652 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in North Riverside, 2013 → 2023: 4,950 → 3,652. 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 Riverside’s own residents hold wherever they work.
From North Riverside, about 29 minutes to the job
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of North Riverside workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 2,803 commuters (the 17% 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 Riverside’s commute, mile by mile
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.
Good to walk, short on transit: North Riverside
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, North Riverside is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #77 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 6.2% 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 3,359 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, 68% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.5 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 88% 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). 12.0% of North Riverside households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of North Riverside’s commuters take a bus or train.
671st of 3,205: where North Riverside ranks among U.S. towns of 5,000 to 9,700
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| 13 | Long Grove IL | 8,343 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Riverside IL | 8,939 | $154K | 3.3% | 1.9% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 669 | Pitman NJ | 8,961 | $98K | 3.1% | 5.4% | 6% | A− |
| 670 | Mendon MA | 6,479 | $132K | 7.1% | 4.1% | 8% | A− |
| 671 | North Riverside IL | 7,161 | $77K | 7.9% | 2.4% | 2% | A− |
| 672 | Willowbrook IL | 9,126 | $99K | 6.6% | 4.4% | 3% | A− |
| 673 | Fort Mitchell KY | 8,751 | $86K | 8.1% | 2.4% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,205 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | 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 Riverside, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door to North Riverside
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | North Riverside workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Riverside | – | A− | A | 29 min | $77,170 |
| Riverside | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $153,686 |
| Proviso Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 29 min | $82,097 |
| Brookfield | under 2% | A | A+ | 33 min | $110,295 |
| Berwyn | 2% | B | A+ | 29 min | $78,408 |
| Berwyn Township | under 2% | — | — | 29 min | — |
| Forest Park | 1% | B+ | A+ | 27 min | $77,221 |
Same-state neighbors only. Berwyn Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Berwyn. Darker towns draw more of North Riverside’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 Riverside: questions
What is the median household income in North Riverside?
$77,170 (±$17,027) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in North Riverside?
7.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from North Riverside?
29 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 17% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in North Riverside work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (30%, 7 mi), Maywood (3%, 2 mi), Cicero (3%, 3 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is North Riverside walkable?
North Riverside is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 14.6 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around North Riverside without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 12% of households have no car. 68% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from North Riverside, from the people who make the trip.
More of North Riverside
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.