Photo: CL Minecraft · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Northbrook earn more than those in 96% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 4.3% of residents; Illinois has 11.8%. Jobs and income earn Northbrook A+; getting around on foot earns it A+. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 2.9 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 36.9 in Chicago.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Northbrook
Northbrook is where the jobs are
Northbrook has 36,315 jobs, 2.3 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 55,000 people are in town, 60% more than the 35,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Northbrook works from home
32% of Northbrook workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
Northbrook and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Northbrook residents (28%) and also where the most people who work in Northbrook come from (19% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Northbrook draws workers from far and wide
The 36,315 jobs in Northbrook are filled from a wide area. Northbrook’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 35%; the other 60% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
The biggest group of Northbrook’s workers comes from Chicago
6,798 of the people who work in Northbrook live in Chicago, 22 miles away, more than from any other town. The commute map ↓
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.
Where Northbrook’s Jobs & income grade comes from
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Northbrook is better than 97% of U.S. towns, #36 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car is its strongest input (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (3.2%, U.S. 5.2%). 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, Northbrook could be anywhere from A to A+.
Northbrook nearly doubles on a workday
On a workday 13,717 residents head out to work, 1,875 work right here, and 34,440 people come in from elsewhere.
About 55,000 people are in Northbrook on a workday afternoon, 60% more than live here.
2.3 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The trip to work from Northbrook: about 27 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Northbrook workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 10,844 commuters (the 32% 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.
Where the people who work in Northbrook live
Where Northbrook clocks in
28% of workers
5% 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 Northbrook: what the 36,315 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Northbrook, 2013 → 2023: 33,603 → 36,315. 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 Northbrook’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Northbrook
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.
In Northbrook, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Northbrook is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns, #70 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Northbrook 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 16,038 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 40% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 22% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 75% 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). 5.3% of Northbrook households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 9% of Northbrook’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Northbrook is 55th among 1,287 U.S. towns of 24,000 to 47,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 18 | New Lenox IL | 28,893 | $141K | 1.5% | 2.9% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 31 | Bartlett IL | 40,855 | $133K | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 53 | Chanhassen MN | 25,748 | $144K | 2.9% | 3.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 54 | Elk River MN | 27,896 | $109K | 3.4% | 1.6% | 16% | A+ |
| 55 | Northbrook IL | 34,744 | $158K | 4.3% | 3.2% | 12% | A+ |
| 56 | Glastonbury CT | 35,503 | $157K | 3.8% | 2.9% | 15% | A+ |
| 57 | Milton GA | 41,266 | $171K | 4.3% | 2.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,287 | 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 Northbrook, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Northbrook and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Glenview (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Northbrook workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northbrook | – | A+ | A+ | 27 min | $157,782 |
| Glenview | 5% | A | A+ | 27 min | $143,056 |
| Northfield | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 25 min | $161,500 |
| Deerfield | 2% | A+ | A | 28 min | $181,660 |
| Glencoe | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $248,933 |
| Northfield Township | under 2% | A | A+ | 27 min | $136,617 |
| Moraine Township | under 2% | A | A+ | 28 min | $153,798 |
| Wheeling | 2% | B+ | A | 26 min | $85,205 |
| New Trier Township | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 34 min | $215,916 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Northbrook’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 Northbrook: questions
What is the median household income in Northbrook?
$157,782 (±$19,596) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Northbrook?
4.3%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Northbrook?
27 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 32% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Northbrook work?
12% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (28%, 22 mi), Glenview (5%, 3 mi), Evanston (3%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Northbrook walkable?
Northbrook is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 11.2 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Northbrook without a car?
9% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. 22% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Northbrook, from the people who make the trip.
More of Northbrook
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.