Photo: Crosbiesmith · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Palos Township are higher than in 63% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 3.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 36.9 in Chicago. Poverty touches 8.8% of residents, against 11.8% across Illinois. The two grades for Palos Township are B+ for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Palos Township: the figures worth knowing
Palos Township and Chicago trade workers both ways
Chicago is the top workplace for Palos Township residents (26%) and also where the most people who work in Palos Township come from (14% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Palos Township draws workers from far and wide
The 18,523 jobs in Palos Township are filled from a wide area. Palos Township’s own residents hold 12% and the ten next-biggest home towns 30%; the other 58% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Palos Township workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 28 across Illinois. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 38 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
Palos Township’s Jobs & income grade, measure by measure
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Palos Township is better than 72% of U.S. towns, #315 of 768 in Illinois. Job access by car holds Palos Township’s grade up (ahead of 98% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Palos Township could be anywhere from B to A.
26% of working residents work in Chicago
Where Palos Township clocks in
26% 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.
Palos Township’s commute takes about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Palos Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 21,434 commuters (the 14% 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.
Who leaves Palos Township for work, and who comes in
On a workday 21,115 residents head out to work, 2,277 work right here, and 16,246 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 (0.79 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.
The 18,523 jobs based in Palos Township
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Palos Township, 2013 → 2023: 21,342 → 18,523. 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 Palos Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Half of Palos Township commutes less than 13 miles
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.
Palos Township 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, Palos Township is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns, #137 of 768 in Illinois. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 4.9% 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 24,950 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 75% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 23% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 3.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 76% 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). 5.9% of Palos Township households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 3% of Palos Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Palos Township is 344th of 786 U.S. towns of 39,000 to 75,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Bartlett IL | 40,855 | $133K | 4.2% | 2.6% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 14 | New Lenox Township IL | 45,290 | $133K | 3.9% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 15 | Oswego IL | 39,948 | $124K | 2.6% | 2.6% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 342 | Taylorsville UT | 57,484 | $86K | 8.9% | 4.3% | 5% | B+ |
| 343 | Winslow Township NJ | 40,562 | $99K | 9.0% | 4.8% | 4% | B+ |
| 344 | Palos Township IL | 55,372 | $86K | 8.8% | 4.8% | 10% | B+ |
| 345 | Brighton CO | 45,395 | $108K | 9.4% | 4.8% | 14% | B+ |
| 346 | Apopka FL | 65,552 | $97K | 10.2% | 3.8% | 7% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 786 | 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 Palos Township, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Next door to Palos Township
The biggest share goes to Bridgeview (2%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Palos Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palos Township | – | B+ | A | 33 min | $86,101 |
| Lyons Township | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 30 min | $92,619 |
| Lemont Township | under 2% | A | A | 35 min | $120,984 |
| Orland Township | under 2% | A− | A | 34 min | $104,383 |
| Worth Township | under 2% | B | A | 30 min | $77,966 |
| Willow Springs | under 2% | A | B | 28 min | $103,583 |
| Palos Park | under 2% | A− | B+ | 30 min | $121,696 |
| Chicago Ridge | under 2% | C+ | A | 32 min | $68,964 |
| Bridgeview | 2% | C+ | A | 31 min | $66,655 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Palos 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 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 Palos Township: questions
What is the median household income in Palos Township?
$86,101 (±$5,071) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Palos Township?
8.8%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Palos Township?
33 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Palos Township work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chicago (26%, 13 mi), Palos Hills (3%, 2 mi), Orland Park (2%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Palos Township walkable?
Palos Township is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 12.3 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Palos Township without a car?
3% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 23% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Palos Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Palos Township
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.