Photo: Nyttend · Public domainWhere Olney Township earns its living
At home: 6% of workers have no commute at all (Illinois 16%). About two in five stay in Olney Township for work; outside it, Olney is the main destination (32%, 1 miles). Working residents average 17 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Olney Township
Commutes from Olney Township 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 (20 to 25 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Olney Township and Olney trade workers both ways
Olney is the top workplace for Olney Township residents (32%) and also where the most people who work in Olney Township come from (27% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
42% of the jobs in Olney Township are in trade, transport and utilities, against 25% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Olney Township draws workers from far and wide
The 5,011 jobs in Olney Township are filled from a wide area. Olney Township’s own residents hold 31% and the ten next-biggest home towns 14%; the other 55% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How long Olney Township spends getting to work: about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Olney Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 4,212 commuters (the 6% 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 people from Olney Township work
Where Olney Township clocks in
32% of workers
3% of workers
2% 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.
Inside Olney Township’s 5,011 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Olney Township, 2014 → 2024: 5,606 → 5,011. 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 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Olney Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Olney Township fills up on a workday
On a workday 2,349 residents head out to work, 1,532 work right here, and 3,479 people come in from elsewhere.
About 11,000 people are in Olney Township on a workday afternoon, 12% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.29 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The commute from Olney Township, by distance
About 31% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Next door to Olney Township
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Olney Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olney Township | – | — | — | 17 min | $61,924 |
| Madison Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Noble Township | under 2% | D | D− | 23 min | $49,665 |
| Preston Township | under 2% | C− | C | 23 min | $53,941 |
| Claremont Township | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
| Calhoun | under 2% | — | — | 20 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Madison Township, Claremont Township and Calhoun: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Olney Township’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 2024, 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 Olney Township: questions
What is the median household income in Olney Township?
$61,924 (±$6,062) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Olney Township?
13.4%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Olney Township?
17 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Olney Township work?
39% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Olney (32%, 1 mi), Flora (3%, 21 mi), Effingham (2%, 38 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Olney Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 11% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Olney Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Olney Township
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, 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.