Households in Northfield earn more than those in 96% of U.S. towns
Jobs and income earn Northfield A+; getting around on foot earns it A+. Below the poverty line: 3.2% of residents, where Illinois as a whole has 11.8%. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 3.9 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
The commute and the jobs: Northfield in brief
Northfield is where the jobs are
Northfield has 7,310 jobs, 2.8 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 10,000 people are in town, 83% more than the 5,600 who live here. Day and night ↓
A lot of Northfield works from home
30% of Northfield workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Time on the road ↓
Northfield and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Northfield residents (31%) and also where the most people who work in Northfield come from (20% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Northfield draws workers from far and wide
The 7,310 jobs in Northfield are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 36%; the other 62% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
The biggest group of Northfield’s workers comes from Chicago
1,445 of the people who work in Northfield live in Chicago, 19 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.
The four measures behind Northfield’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Northfield is among the top U.S. towns, #7 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 (2.2%, 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, Northfield could be anywhere from A to A+.
Northfield by day and by night
On a workday 2,498 residents head out to work, 141 work right here, and 7,169 people come in from elsewhere.
About 10,000 people are in Northfield on a workday afternoon, 83% more than live here.
2.8 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.
About 25 minutes each way, quicker than most of Illinois
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Northfield workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,852 commuters (the 30% 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.
The towns that send workers to Northfield
Where Northfield clocks in
31% of workers
6% 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.
72% of the jobs in Northfield pay over $3,333 a month
7,310 jobs are based in Northfield.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Northfield, 2013 → 2023: 7,540 → 7,310. 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 Northfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many miles Northfield 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.
In Northfield, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Northfield is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns, #37 of 768 in Illinois. Both inputs place Northfield 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 2,660 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 95% 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 3.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 80% 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). 4.0% of Northfield households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Northfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Northfield next to U.S. towns of 3,900 to 7,600: 37th of 3,561 on jobs and income
| # | 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 | Ho-Ho-Kus NJ | 4,313 | $250K | 0.0% | 1.7% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 13 | South Barrington IL | 5,071 | $222K | 1.0% | 2.0% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 35 | Lincoln MA | 6,925 | $175K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 36 | West Lakeland Township MN | 3,931 | $216K | 3.8% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 37 | Northfield IL | 5,632 | $162K | 3.2% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| 38 | Pepper Pike OH | 6,886 | $228K | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4% | A+ |
| 39 | Oak Point TX | 6,909 | $126K | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 78 | Grandwood Park IL | 5,262 | $127K | 2.8% | 2.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 87 | Lakewood IL | 4,293 | $174K | 3.5% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,561 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Northfield, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Work next door: 16% of Northfield’s workers
The biggest share goes to Northbrook (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Northfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northfield | – | A+ | A+ | 25 min | $161,500 |
| Northbrook | 6% | A+ | A+ | 27 min | $157,782 |
| Glenview | 4% | A | A+ | 27 min | $143,056 |
| Winnetka | 3% | A+ | A+ | 33 min | $250,000+ |
| Glencoe | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 36 min | $248,933 |
| Wilmette | 3% | A+ | A+ | 35 min | $190,662 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Northfield’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 Northfield: questions
What is the median household income in Northfield?
$161,500 (±$46,653) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Northfield?
3.2%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Northfield?
25 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 30% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Northfield work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (31%, 19 mi), Northbrook (6%, 4 mi), Evanston (5%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Northfield walkable?
Northfield is more walkable than 97% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.7 out of 20, and 11% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Northfield without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Northfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Northfield
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.