Work and commuting in Pekin Township
6% of workers have no commute at all; Illinois has 16%. About one in seven stay in Pekin Township for work; outside it, Peoria is the main destination (22%, 11 miles). The trip to work takes 21 minutes on average; Illinois averages 28, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Where Pekin Township stands out on work
A lot of Pekin Township works one town over
43% of working residents work in a town that borders Pekin Township: Peoria (22%), Pekin (19%) and Limestone Township (2%). Next door ↓
Commutes from Pekin Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 21 minutes, against 28 across Illinois. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Illinois worker. Time on the road ↓
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.
About 21 minutes to work from Pekin Township
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pekin Township workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,647 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.
A workday in Pekin Township: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 10,192 residents head out to work, 1,797 work right here, and 5,254 people come in from elsewhere.
About 22,000 people are in Pekin Township on a workday afternoon, 18% fewer than live here.
0.59 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
Out of Pekin Township to work: where people go
Where Pekin Township clocks in
Lines 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 Pekin Township: what the 7,051 are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pekin Township, 2014 → 2024: 7,779 → 7,051. 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 Pekin Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Miles to work from Pekin Township
About 21% 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.
43% of Pekin Township works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pekin Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pekin Township | – | — | — | 21 min | $59,074 |
| Hollis Township | under 2% | A− | D | 27 min | $87,069 |
| Creve Coeur | under 2% | C+ | C | 16 min | $47,993 |
| Groveland Township | under 2% | B | C | 20 min | $65,830 |
| Cincinnati Township | under 2% | B | C | 24 min | $83,712 |
| Pekin | 19% | C+ | A− | 22 min | $60,790 |
| Limestone Township | 2% | B+ | B | 21 min | $71,380 |
| Peoria City Township | under 2% | C− | A | 18 min | $52,321 |
| Peoria | 22% | C | A | 18 min | $59,410 |
| Fondulac Township | under 2% | B | A | 21 min | $74,478 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Peoria. Darker towns draw more of Pekin 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 Pekin Township: questions
What is the median household income in Pekin Township?
$59,074 (±$3,420) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pekin Township?
12.7%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pekin Township?
21 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pekin Township work?
15% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Peoria (22%, 11 mi), Pekin (19%, 2 mi), Morton (6%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Can you get around Pekin Township without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pekin Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pekin 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.