Northlake has 1.4 jobs for every working resident: 8,104 people commute in to work
Jobs & income B: better than 64% of U.S. towns on income, poverty, unemployment and job access · #390 of 768 in Illinois.
Walkability A: more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns · #195 of 768 in Illinois.
Household incomes here are higher than in 61% of U.S. towns. Working residents average 29 minutes each way (Illinois 28, U.S. 26). Only 5% work in Northlake; the top destination outside it is Chicago (22%, 12 miles).
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 6.2 transit trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago (EPA, 2020 schedules).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Northlake
Northlake and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Northlake residents (22%) and also where the most people who work in Northlake come from (22% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
51% of the jobs in Northlake are in trade, transport and utilities, against 28% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Northlake draws workers from far and wide
The 8,389 jobs in Northlake are filled from a wide area. The ten biggest home towns of its workers supply 35%; the other 62% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Northlake gains people on a workday
About 15,000 people are in Northlake on a workday afternoon, 20% more than the 12,000 who live here: 8,100 come in to work and 5,600 head out. Day and night ↓
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.
What’s behind Northlake’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Northlake is better than 64% of U.S. towns, #390 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Northlake’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.6%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Northlake could be anywhere from C+ to A.
22% of working residents work in Chicago
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Where Northlake clocks in
22% of workers
4% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
What the 8,389 jobs in Northlake are
8,389 jobs are based in Northlake. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Northlake’s own residents hold wherever they work.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Northlake, 2013 → 2023: 7,526 → 8,389. 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.
Northlake fills up on a workday
On a workday 5,642 residents head out to work, 285 work right here, and 8,104 people come in from elsewhere.
About 15,000 people are in Northlake on a workday afternoon, 20% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.42 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.
About 29 minutes each way, about the IL average
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Northlake workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,279 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Illinois: 78% drive alone, 7% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
Half of Northlake commutes less than 8 miles
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Northlake is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Northlake is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns, #195 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 3.3% 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 5,762 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, 49% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 6.2 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 87% 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). 9.2% of Northlake households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 2% of Northlake’s commuters take a bus or train.
Northlake is 1,155th of 2,354 U.S. towns of 9,000 to 17,000 on jobs and income
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Northlake, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 24 | Western Springs IL | 13,588 | $230K | 1.3% | 3.1% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | La Grange IL | 15,935 | $160K | 4.6% | 2.2% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 40 | Riverside Township IL | 16,083 | $122K | 4.5% | 1.8% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,153 | Clinton MA | 15,718 | $90K | 8.6% | 5.4% | 12% | B |
| 1,154 | Artesia CA | 15,789 | $101K | 9.4% | 10.0% | 7% | B |
| 1,155 | Northlake IL | 12,462 | $84K | 10.9% | 5.6% | 5% | B |
| 1,156 | Marion AR | 13,378 | $78K | 8.6% | 4.7% | 15% | B |
| 1,157 | Depew NY | 14,801 | $74K | 9.4% | 4.2% | 8% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 2,354 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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.
11% of Northlake works in a bordering town
The biggest share goes to Melrose Park (4%). Darker towns draw more of Northlake’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Northlake workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northlake | – | B | A | 29 min | $83,892 |
| Melrose Park | 4% | B− | A | 27 min | $66,189 |
| Franklin Park | 4% | B | A | 29 min | $76,519 |
| Stone Park | under 2% | B− | A− | 20 min | $67,224 |
| Berkeley | under 2% | B+ | B+ | 28 min | $85,823 |
| Elmhurst | 3% | A | A+ | 29 min | $149,644 |
| Proviso Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 29 min | $82,097 |
| York Township | under 2% | A− | A | 27 min | $112,233 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
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 Northlake: questions
What is the median household income in Northlake?
$83,892 (±$12,311) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Northlake?
10.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Northlake?
29 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Northlake work?
5% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (22%, 12 mi), Franklin Park (4%, 2 mi), Elk Grove Village (4%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Northlake walkable?
Northlake is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.8 out of 20, and 3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Northlake without a car?
2% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. 49% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Northlake, from the people who make the trip.
More of Northlake
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.