Photo: Mingusboodle at English Wikipedia · Public domainHouseholds in Pittsfield have lower incomes than those in 82% of U.S. towns
For jobs and income Pittsfield is better than 14% of U.S. towns (D); for walkability it is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (B−). 17.9% of residents are in poverty, next to 11.8% for Illinois as a whole. Working from home is the commute for 2% of workers, next to 16% for Illinois as a whole.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Pittsfield
Pittsfield’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Pittsfield is Springfield, 63 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (126) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Commutes from Pittsfield 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. Time on the road ↓
Few Pittsfield workers work from home
Only 2% of workers work from home, against 16% across Illinois. Almost everyone here travels to a job. Time on the road ↓
A big share show a job far from home
32% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Pittsfield
Unemployment holds Pittsfield’s grade up (4.9%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Pittsfield could be anywhere from D− to B−.
Where in the region Pittsfield works
About 32% 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 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Commuting from Pittsfield: about 17 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Pittsfield workers work from home, vs 16% across Illinois. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,885 commuters (the 2% 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 daily flow of workers through Pittsfield
On a workday 1,112 residents head out to work, 522 work right here, and 1,265 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 (1.09 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.
8% of working residents work in Springfield
Where Pittsfield clocks in
8% of workers
7% of workers
4% 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.
What work there is in Pittsfield: 1,787 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Pittsfield, 2013 → 2023: 2,026 → 1,787. 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 Pittsfield’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Driving is how Pittsfield gets around
The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.2% 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 1,929 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.4% of Pittsfield households have no vehicle (Illinois 11.0%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Pittsfield’s commuters take a bus or train.
Pittsfield next to U.S. towns of 2,800 to 5,500: 3,748th of 4,283 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Deer Park IL | 3,647 | $174K | 1.3% | 2.3% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,746 | Gifford FL | 4,668 | $33K | 42.0% | 5.0% | 3% | D |
| 3,747 | Holloman AFB NM | 4,433 | $52K | 10.2% | 11.9% | 4% | D |
| 3,748 | Pittsfield IL | 4,041 | $55K | 17.9% | 4.9% | 32% | D |
| 3,749 | Oxford ME | 4,449 | $59K | 12.5% | 10.6% | 12% | D |
| 3,750 | Union Township MO | 3,242 | $51K | 20.0% | 4.1% | 14% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 4,283 | 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 Pittsfield, the top three, the last and three more from Illinois.
Pittsfield and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Pittsfield Township (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Pittsfield workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield | – | D | B− | 17 min | $54,643 |
| Pittsfield Township | 3% | — | — | 20 min | — |
| Newburg Township | under 2% | — | — | 14 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Pittsfield Township and Newburg Township: not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Pittsfield’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 Pittsfield: questions
What is the median household income in Pittsfield?
$54,643 (±$8,805) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,390 across Illinois and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Pittsfield?
17.9%, against 11.8% across Illinois and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Pittsfield?
17 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Illinois and 26 nationally. 2% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Pittsfield work?
32% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Springfield (8%, 63 mi), Quincy (7%, 38 mi), Mount Sterling (4%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Pittsfield walkable?
Pittsfield is more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 8.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Pittsfield without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Pittsfield, from the people who make the trip.
More of Pittsfield
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.